by Jack Crosby
A hand brushed up against my ear. In a low purr, “I can’t even begin to tell you how horny I am.”
“You being horny is what got us into this situation! What do you think the angels are going to say once they find out I’m reproducing?”
She flopped over the couch into my lap. I had to swallow real hard as she was only wearing a thong and one of my t-shirts. “There are no rules against that. Are there?”
I strained really hard to remember if anyone ever told me to keep my seeds from causing this sorta mayhem. “I don’t think so, but I know it was probably most definitely discouraged.”
She booped me on the nose. “Well I do enjoy a rule breaker. Why don’t you stop fussing and give me a jolly good Rogering!”
“Did you just use a pirate sex euphemism?”
Licking my ear, “Did it work?”
If you know me at all, then the answer is a strong yes. Picking her up, I carried Astrid back to our bed and tossed her down. “I guess I don’t have to worry about any more of my little guys finding the mark huh?”
The way she landed, the shirt came up, really showing off her incredible abs. “Mmmm, I’m going to fuck you good tonight Astrid.”
Using her foot, she hooked around my hip and pulled me down. “Don’t you forget who’s in control. And that’s Queen Astrid to you.”
He tan, toned legs wrapped around me, not letting me go. Leaning in, we started kissing like teenagers in a car, our tongues going wild in each other’s mouths. I worked my hands up under the shirt, her small yet firm breasts becoming putty in my hands.
As I pinched one of her nipples, she twisted in such a way that my stiffening muscle rubbed against the thin fabric of her panties. I quickly unbuttoned my shorts and let them fall to the floor, freeing myself before I lost control. As it touched the soft cotton, the feeling sends lightning bolts through me.
Astrid was not much for waiting. Pulling the panties to the side, I slid right in with no resistance. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “Holy shit that feels good!”
The urge overcame me and I start thrusting as hard as I can. All I want to do is empty myself into her again, not carrying what this has done before. Her eager eyes gave me extra motivation not to let her down and fill her up with all the goodness I can muster.
Her yellow, feline eyes stare darts at me as she picks up the pace. I grip on to her hips tightly, knowing what little control I still have is about to end. As my orgasm comes, I shudder, emptying myself deep into her. Sweat is dripping off my face as she clenches up and joins me in a shared moment of bliss.
Her feet unlocked and I fell to the cool bed, joining her. “Damn, you’re a frisky little vixen aren’t you?”
“You like it, probably a bit too much. However,” she propped her head up on her hand, “I couldn’t imagine another man filling those desires for me.”
“No other dick is allowed near you!”
She was joking, but always found my mock anger amusing. “No other could replace you my love. And now we have a truly shared connection, a child that we created!”
For Astrid this must’ve been the greatest thing since sliced bread. For a female Nyx, becoming a mother is the ultimate ambition. In their culture, you replace yourself, so most women hoped for a daughter. Obviously it was too soon to tell what we were having, as I just found out about this a half hour ago.
We enjoyed the cool breeze that was blowing through the window, off the ocean. The moon was starting to show in the evening sky and shined through the window as well. The scene was downright perfect as we continued to lounge around.
“Do you think anyone will come find us?”
Her question was a good one and one that held heavy over us. After we killed her mom and the Arch-Demon Astaroth, Michael, the Arch Angel said we would be needed in the future. Since then, I haven’t heard a single word from any angels or my brothers. “I guess all we can do is wait. You’re immortal now, so eventually someone always comes for you.”
“You come for me two of three times a day.” She added a sly lick of the lips to it.
It made me laugh, but she knew which buttons to touch upon. “Let’s face it, if I didn’t, you’d just get pissed I wasn’t fucking you enough.”
“Well, this might be true, but remember just how much I love you.”
A soft thud occurred over by the window. Khloros, my horse in actual horse form, had his head inside the cottage. “If you two are done with such nonsense, it would be wise to head into town this evening and get our supplies. The weather will not be kind tomorrow.”
We were like two teenagers and he was like our dad. “Did you hear the news buddy? You’re going to be an uncle!”
His eyes left me and went over to Astrid. “You are with child?”
“Yes, I felt the conception this morning. Isn’t it wonderful?”
He neighed rather loudly. “Well the two of you continue to buck the rules, so let me extend my congratulations. Derrick, you could have done much worse I suppose.”
“Hey!” Both of us shouted at him in unison.
“If that is the case, we should reach out to Veronica with this. If it becomes known that you have a child Death, he or she may become a target and we both know of someone who would use that against you.”
He was referring to the witch Sabrina. “We haven’t been in contact with anyone in weeks. For all we know they just want me to melt away into the sunset.”
Either way, I will attempt to reach out to her.” He pulled his head out of the window and I could hear his hooves pound into the sand as he went to do his thing.
Astrid liked Veronica, so she didn’t seem all too bent out of shape. “Veronica should know. She was an important friend to us.”
Oh yeah and she saved Astrid when she accidently ended up in Washington D.C. “Well, if you’re cool with it, then I’ll be okay.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “You’re a good man Derrick.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but hey as Khloros said, you could’ve done worse.”
“I think he was talking to you when he said that.”
Chapter 2 – The Lost Brother
We were headed into the little town that wasn’t too far from our beach bungalow. According to Khloros, Veronica would be here in the morning, so we had no reason to stick around and wait. The night was a beautiful one for a ride down the dunes. The village lights broke up the darkness that spread across the sand.
Just outside of town, Astrid and I dismounted and tied Khloros up to a wooden post. Not that he needed it, but it would look odd for a horse just standing there of its own free will. “We won’t be long buddy.”
“Take your time. The night is peaceful and I am quite enjoying it.”
I gave him a pat on his head and we set off from the sand on to the stone path. It wasn’t the biggest place on Earth, but the people here were really relaxed and laid back. They lived off the ocean and whatever small amounts of farming they could do. Our first stop would be to the market to grab some food and some cervezas.
My girl knew exactly what I was thinking. “Not that I did before, but now I really can’t have any alcohol.”
“Really?”
“You’ve never dealt with a pregnant woman before, have you?”
That was a big fat no. What do they say about old dogs? “Does this mean I can’t have any either?”
We entered the market and she began inspecting the latest catch. “It would be nice for us to be united in everything.”
“Ahh hell that means you want me to be sober.”
She handed me a large fish with its head still attached. “No, it just means I want you to start thinking as a father and not a millennia old teenager.”
I hated this part of shopping, this shit really stank. “But you love me because I’m a millennia old teenager.”
She put down whatever weird fruit it was she usually got. “No, I love you because you have a good heart and generally mean well. Don’t you
think you’ll be getting this same lecture tomorrow?”
“Ahh old Veronica won’t interfere in our business, at least I hope not.”
Giving me that ‘this is hopeless’ look, we kept going. Once we got enough for a few days, we went up to the front and paid the lady. Astrid took well to understand the Mexican money system and quickly became the bank for me. Petty stuff like coins and paper dollars mean little, I just know I have a lot of it.
As we exited, we ran into a familiar face. “Derrick, Astrid, it’s good to see the two of you again.”
“It’s good to see you too Renee.” The likable American lady moved down here a few weeks after we did. She was middle aged and still looked amazing. Her dark eyes for some reason hinted at knowing her, but I could never place it. No, I was quite sure we’d never met before. “And now it’s three of us.”
She squealed as soon as Astrid dropped that bomb. “You’re going to have a baby?”
“Yeah and it’s a miracle it hasn’t happened sooner. This one can’t stay out of my pants!”
My face turned red. “Astrid! Don’t fucking say that!”
“And don’t curse in front of people, it’s not polite!”
Renee, as always, found us highly amusing. “Listen, I curse with the best of ‘em and when I was your two’s age, I was fucking my way up and down the east coast.”
For some reason her words were dripping with honesty. I almost slipped and said depending on where; I might’ve been one of your sack mates. That would’ve made sense, as seeing as I couldn’t get rid of that feeling we’d met somewhere before. “Aren’t you the honest one?”
“I have nothing to be ashamed of. I enjoy sex and used it to my advantage. These days, it just doesn’t have the same appeal.”
Astrid punched me in the arm. “Don’t make her talk about her past. You’re certainly one who has no room to talk.”
That ladies and gentlemen is how you shut me up. I stood there holding the groceries for another five to six minutes while the two of them talked about baby related topics. Astrid eventually got annoyed with my foot tapping and the ‘huh’ sounds I started making. “Sorry Renee, I better get him back to the house before he goes all petulant brat on me.”
“I understand, men like him are a bit on the high maintenance side.” She gave me a sly wink and bid us good night.
“Oh Derrick, what am I going to do with you? We’re going to have a child, yet it appears I already have one to deal with.”
I helped her up on Khloros, who wanted to join in on this conversation. “What did he do this time?”
“The usual, break up any attempts to actually make friends, be annoying, et cetera.”
Khloros gave us his weird horse laugh. “You eventually get used to it. Mind you, it took me close to one thousand years to get to the point where I was not bothered.”
“Laugh it up you two chuckleheads. Without me, neither of you would be alive, so a little more respect should be given.”
And they did, all the way home. I grabbed the groceries and stormed into the house, pretending to be mad, but I couldn’t be. Both of those loveable goofs brought much needed entertainment and love to my life. As I was stocking up the fridge, Astrid stuck her head in. “You might want to come on outside.”
I scratched my head. “Why, is there something good waiting for me?”
“It depends on what you mean by good. And no it’s not my naked body.”
“Well shit, than I doubt this will be good.” I put the last of the fruit in and closed the door. Just for precaution sake, I grabbed Leviathan and put it in my shorts pocket. Call me untrusting, but when dealing with anything unpredictable, I’d rather have a weapon.
I opened the front door and walked out. Astrid was standing on the porch and just below her was the last person in the whole wide world I expected to see. “Famine…”
The rider was shorter than me and he was covered head to toe in black robes. A midnight black stallion was standing over beside Khloros. He dropped his head, revealing a very young face. He could very easily pass for my little brother. His voice rumbled, not matching his body at all. “Death, it took me some time to find you.”
“Part of not wanting to be found means going to incredible lengths to not be found.”
He gave me a slight smirk. “I do not mean that as a slight. Conquest said I would have to search all the back corners of this world to find you. He was not incorrect.”
Sighing, I sat down on one of our Adirondack chairs and motioned for him to do the same. As my made his way up, Astrid mumbled about him dragging sand on to her freshly swept porch. His robes were too big and he wasn’t really graceful on the shifting soil.
Looking at my brother sitting beside me, “So you’re not out here just to visit. You’ve never once come to see me since I left Eden you prick.”
“This world is not meant for our kind. I do not enjoy being here.”
Was he right? Maybe, but that still didn’t make him any less of an asshole for not coming to see me. “So what do I owe this midnight doorstop? Got some vacuum cleaners to sell me?”
The joke went right over his head. “I come bearing tidings of ill omens. Our time to go to Tartarus and deal with Abaddon is growing near.”
Obviously these guys had been in contact with that nut-job Dante. “Don’t tell me you guys are still messing with him? I’ve seen Abaddon and his Wild Hunt up close and it ain’t pretty.”
“Which means we will need you to lead the expedition into Tartarus, as you have experienced the hells there personally.”
This is what happens when you slay a few dire wolves, including their king; people want more out of you. “I hope you got an army the size of Texas to take in there with us. Abaddon will eat us all for breakfast and not break a sweat.”
Astrid had obviously heard enough of this. “I won’t have you throw your life away by confronting that monster!”
Famine addressed her politely. “We have no choice in this matter. The Horsemen are servants of the Almighty and with that goes certain responsibilities. Abaddon has been allowed to grow too much. Even the mighty Lucifer is afraid of him.”
When you scare the Devil himself, you’re one bad ass. “Exactly my point! If we are to do this, we need a plan and not just the four of us go willy-nilly into Tartarus and get our asses kicked.”
“Tomorrow Dante will be joining me here along with our other brothers. This is still in the planning phase, but we needed to know that you would uphold your position.”
I gave Astrid a very sad look. “This is one thing I can’t say no to. I’m a Horseman and when I’m called to duty, I have to answer the summons.”
“I know you do. Damnit, why do you have to be such a good man?”
Famine looked at her a little more closely. “It seems I am to be an uncle, is that not correct?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah you are. And if we survive this, I just might let my kid come see you every once in a while.”
He actually gave us a God’s honest smile. “My lady Astrid, I swear on my life that none shall take your child’s father from you.”
Her eyes were like ice. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Chapter 3 – The Morningstar Blade
I walked by a sleeping Famine to open the door. Whoever was knocking this early was just asking for a good old fashioned whoopin’. Unfortunately, the person standing there would not be receiving any sort of ass kicking from me. The Arch Angel Michael was one tough dude. He was also a good friend and dedicated ally.
I stepped outside and quietly closed the door. “What do I owe this morning visit over the Mexican sunrise?”
His friendly eyes shined in my direction. “I am glad to see you in such good spirits. I dropped by early because we need to discuss the topic of Dante’s little meeting later today.”
I dropped on to a step and took a seat and he followed suit. “You mean this fool’s errand of going into Tartarus and trying to kill Abaddon? Yeah, t
his sounds like suicide to me.”
“It is without the right tool. The Almighty has deemed this mission necessary, but what Dante fails to understand is the prerequisite.”
Turmoil brewing Upstairs perhaps? “What sort of prerequisite are we talking about?”
He reached into his leisure jacket and pulled out an old piece of parchment with a drawing of a sword on it. I knew exactly what it was, even before he continued. “This is the Morningstar Blade, Lucifer’s personal weapon. The Almighty blessed this personally and with such power is the ability to permanently bring down Abaddon.”
I didn’t know that little secondary fact. “Whoa… if that’s the case, why doesn’t Old Lucifer himself slay the beast?”
He folded his arms. “For the same reason many of us choose to stay out of Tartarus, the dangers and chances of success are nil at best. Just because a weapon can kill does not provide the user with the skill to deliver such a blow.”
“No offense, but if Lucifer isn’t skilled enough to take on Abaddon, who is?”
He looked up at the rising sun. “With the help of the Horsemen, I believe my apprentice Veronica would be able to wield the blade and bring down the monster.”
“You think so? Why not you?”
“Do not ask questions you already know the answer to. My handicap makes it impossible for me to ne anything more than a guide.”
I didn’t exactly know what happened to him, but there were always rumblings about Michael suffering a terrible injury. I wasn’t going to push him for info on that, with everything else going on. “So Veronica it is huh?”
He smiled and nodded. “She is much more capable than she gives herself credit for. However, this still does not solve one problem.”
“Yeah, there ain’t no way in Hell, literally, that Lucifer’s going to give us his blade to use.”
“This is where you come in Death. We wish for you to enter his realm and get the blade by any means possible.”
