by Joshua King
"It might look like the map you're used to, but remember, Hayden, the Underworld is not like the other world. It looks very similar, but there are many areas in the other world that don't exist here, and even more here that don't exist up there. There are many places that were mirrored, but others that are completely distinct, and it's important that you keep that in mind, so you don't fall into the trap of thinking you are still in that world. This is the section of the Underworld controlled by the factions of vampires and warlocks you are meant to lead."
"It's bigger than I thought," I said.
The area took up a large section of the landmass and I was surprised at just how extensive it seemed against the other areas. Ashe made a haphazard asterisk near the center of the red outlined area.
"That is Solan City. It's the heart of your jurisdiction. It's made up of many different realms, each of which is inhabited by different species. Some share the realms and others have them to themselves. But the city is the only part of this area that is mirrored. The rest is completely distinct."
I listened as they all continued to describe the area and point out different realms, wrapping my head around the sheer size of the space. It created an interesting dynamic. It was exciting to see how far my influence would stretch and the extent of the benefit of the fight we'd committed ourselves to. At the same time, the reality of the huge responsibility was sobering. That much space meant so many people and species I needed to learn about so I could protect and serve them.
The taste of Stephana's body was still clinging to my lips and I could feel her hands tracing along my body when I stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. The sound of the shower switching to stream out of the faucet told me she was going to enjoy the afterglow in a hot bath. The hungry eyes of the three women in the bedroom told me it wasn't my time to rest yet.
Not that I was complaining.
Brielle approached me first. Her steps were deliberate, bringing her across the room and into my arms in seconds. Her mouth was eager, finding mine at the same moment her fingers grabbed onto the towel around my waist and pulled it away. Not to be outdone, Aurora came up behind me and ran her hands around my waist so one flattened on my chest and the other pressed to my belly. She kissed along the back of my neck for a few seconds before her hands started to trail downward. Brielle's hands were buried in my hair and I felt a third pair touch my shoulder and run along my arm to my hand and back. Lips touched my cheek and I took my mouth from Brielle's to press it to Ashe's. Clothing fell at my feet until finally all three were completely bare in front of me. My body responded immediately, my cock springing back to life even after Stephana had done a truly impressive job in the shower. My vampire abilities weren't letting me down.
Aurora's hand clenched in my hair and she pulled my head back so it rested on her shoulder, allowing me to turn my mouth toward hers and gather her tongue between my lips. Brielle's mouth touched the soft place between my collarbones and started down my body. Her soft lips brushed over my skin, the tip of her tongue occasionally slipping out to run across my skin as she made her way down the center of my chest and onto my belly. She was lowering herself to her knees in front of me and my shaft swelled even more with anticipation. Ashe guided me left and I opened my eyes to see her sit down on the end of the bed a few feet away. One hand squeezed her breast as the other trailed down the center of her belly toward her parted thighs. Brielle's mouth brushed over the sensitive head of my cock and swirled, the movement gathering the fluid dripping from the tip to make it easier for her lips to glide. Ashe's fingertips dipped between her petals to find her own slick juices and she moaned as Brielle's mouth opened and took me in. Aurora kissed along my neck, nestling her hips forward so I could feel the heat of her own wetness forming between her thighs.
Brielle drew her mouth along my length in deep, slow sucks for a few seconds before pulling away and getting to her feet. Pressing her hands to my belly, she guided me back toward the bed where Ashe was sliding backwards across the bed toward the pillows. Aurora peeled herself from my back just before we got to the bed and I sat down. Brielle immediately dropped back to her position between my thighs and pushed my knees apart so she could draw me into her mouth again. I stretched out on my back and reached for Ashe, inching her forward by her thighs until she was on her knees, straddling my face. The position brought her pussy right above my mouth. I could smell the sweetness of her body and feel the warmth radiating off her. It was enough to push me right to the edge of any control I had.
Lifting my head, I plunged my tongue into Ashe's folds. Her fingers had already spread the slickness of her fluids across her folds and I eagerly gathered them. Aurora knelt on the mattress beside us and I felt her take my hand and draw it up her thigh. She tucked it at the apex and my fingers found her clit, smooth and swollen, working its way out of from beneath its hood in search of attention. I happily gave her what she sought, massaging the pearl with my thumb in tight, swirling circles. Aurora cried out and Brielle's mouth quickened on my cock as my tongue moved more enthusiastically over Ashe. She fell forward, her hands landing on my chest so she could stroke as much skin as she could reach. The sensation of Brielle's mouth was becoming more powerful and I found her hand with mine, squeezing it tightly. She drew her mouth away from my body and climbed up onto the bed, straddling my hips. Her hand wrapped around the base of my cock and she pressed it against her body, grinding her hips so I could feel the slickness of her petals against my shaft.
She rolled her hips forward another time and I caught her thigh in my free hand. I used it to lift her and hold her still so I could dip into her. The little gasp that slipped from her lips only fueled me forward and I pressed down, thrusting deep into her. The four of us moved into a steady, dizzying rhythm. My body was on fire, every inch of me alive with the feeling of the women. Suddenly Ashe and Brielle climbed off me and scrambled across the bed, switching places so I could taste Brielle as I filled Ashe. Within seconds of her kneeling over me and my tongue massaging her, Brielle cried out, her hips bucking and a wash of fluid warming my tongue. She whimpered and Ashe grinded harder, my fingers swirling around Aurora faster. As Brielle slowly climbed away from my face, Aurora took her place. Brielle's body stretched out beside me and I let my free hand trace along her breasts and stomach. My hips lifted so I could plunge harder and faster into Ashe. Aurora gasped and braced herself on my chest so she could spread her thighs further and open herself to more of the movements of my tongue. It took only a few more seconds for her and Ashe to both let out deep groans as their bodies clenched and began to tremble and spasm.
Finally, able to let go, I released into Ashe, plunging my tongue into Aurora so I could savor the feeling of both women rolling through their orgasms. As they did, I let my magic flow, reaching back to grab hold of Aurora so the three of us lifted into the air.
They giggled as we rose up a few feet then lowered back down to the bed.
"That's a fun trick," Brielle murmured when we settled back down onto the mattress. "But next time, let me."
Her wings, unbound since we got onto the train, suddenly sprung up and fluttered, sending a sheer veil of shimmer down as she lifted up. A grin stretched across her swollen lips as she flew around the train car for a few seconds, then landed beside the bed. I got up and gathered her into my arms, hugging her close. It was only a brief flight, but it was a sign of rebellion, a resistance to the control that had pushed her down, and a sign of her devotion to the cause. To me.
16
Waking up by being thrown onto the floor of a train wasn't my idea of the best way to start the day, and as much as I enjoyed having any of my four women naked and sprawling on top of me, having two of them land on me while I was still face down didn't make it any better. The train lurched violently, and I was glad the beds were bolted to the floor, because I was sure they would have shifted and made the whole situation even more uncomfortable.
"What the fuck is going on?" I grumbled into the flo
or as the women tried to right themselves.
They managed to get off me and I climbed to my feet, looking around. I felt like I had gotten a full night of sleep, yet the room was dark, and I saw no sunlight coming in through the windows on either side of the car. I reached for the light panel, but no amount of clicking the switches back and forth lit the bulbs. I grabbed the blanket off one of the beds and wrapped it around me as I headed into the lounge. It was even darker than the bedroom and I pushed the heavy red velvet curtains away from the windows. Similar darkness was all that was beyond the windows and the disorientation that started my day turned to apprehension.
"What time is it?" Bex asked as he stalked into the room.
"I don't know. There's no power."
It wasn't until the words were out of my mouth that I realized the train was no longer moving under my feet. It wasn't just that it had stopped its violent lurching and shaking. There was no movement at all. The ground I had gotten accustomed to constantly shaking and occasionally swaying over the last several days was completely still.
"This couldn't be where were supposed to get off," Ashe said.
"No. I don't think the train was supposed to stop at all. There wouldn't be any reason for them to cut the power just to stop at a station. Something’s going on."
I was heading back into the bedroom to try to dress when the first screams made it into the car. Our sleeper car was set so far back from the other passenger cars we hadn't even heard their voices, except for our occasional venture out into the other cars, so we wouldn't go mad being in the same two rooms indefinitely. Now we could hear them, but they weren't the cheerful travelers we would have wanted to share the space with. They weren't even the tense, quiet commuters who seemed to want nothing more than to just be left alone and not have to acknowledge anyone or anything around them. These were frantic, terrified screams and shouts. Loud banging sounds and pops that sounded uncomfortably close to small explosions nearly drowned them out. There wasn't any time to try to feel my way over to our luggage and pull out one of the flashlights tucked at the very bottom for emergencies. We hadn't used them in the woods because I liked the idea of the added benefit of protection from the torches, but now I just needed light. Aurora seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, and not for the first time, I wished she had the capacity to reach into my mind the same way I did for her. As I dressed, she searched for the flashlights and finally two milky beams cut through the darkness. The others scrambled to get ready. As we burst out of our car and into the first passenger space, we could hear the screams getting louder. There was no one in that car. All the passengers were gone, their belongings spread out across the seats and in the aisle. This was nothing like the strange woman who had slept so deeply the first day we were on the train. She didn't mind taking up every inch she possibly could and showing off the inner workings of her daily life as she napped. The people who had been in this car were different.
The one time I'd taken a walk with the others through the train, I'd noticed it wasn't just the seats that changed as we moved deeper into the train toward our sleeping accommodations. The more comfortable and exclusive the passenger cars looked, the stiffer and more formal the passengers. These were not the type of people who would toss their books onto the floor when they were done reading them or leave a suitcase that had tumbled from the overhead compartment and cracked open on a seat spilling its contents across the velvet. It wasn't until we got to the next passenger car that we encountered anyone else. This time it was Xander, his eyes wild and several of the braids having escaped from the neat ponytail on his back, so they swung around as his head thrashed back and forth. I grabbed him by his shoulders and gave him a hard shake to force him back into reality. He looked into my face and for a few seconds it seemed like he didn't recognize me. Finally, he reached out and took my forearms.
"Xander, what's going on?"
"Are you safe?" the young man asked fervently. "Are you safe? All of you?"
"Yes. We're all here. What's going on?"
"Go back to your room. Go to the farthest back bedroom and stay there."
"No. Tell us what's happening."
"You need to get to safety. Now."
"Xander, we aren't going back into that room. We are on this train for a reason, and I think you know that. Tell me what's going on."
"There has been an attack," Xander finally relented. "The train has been disabled and a group has boarded. We are stuck in a tunnel and not moving. There has been no response from the engineer."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know."
"Xander."
"I don't. No one does."
I pushed him toward the sleeping car he had told us to retreat to.
"Go on. Hide. If we don't come back for you in half an hour, get out of the train any way you can."
He looked at me like he wanted to protest, but I wasn't going to give him the chance. Shoving him again, I moved past him into the aisle and continued toward the sound of the chaos, the rest of the group close behind me. I hoped Xander did as I said and went to the sleeper car. There was no guarantee he would be safe there, but it would at least give him space between whoever had come on board and him. If I was right and the invaders were after us, and he did know who sent us here to the train, then he could be in just as much danger as we were.
One more car found us at a sealed door. Through the small window I could see passengers trying frantically to escape, but the door itself was like it had been welded shut. Beyond the terrified faces I saw several people in masks. They weren't like the masks the Dragon had worn. This time they were completely plain, showing no features beyond a single slit over each eye and one over the mouth.
"Who are they?" Ashe asked.
"I don't know, but we're going to try to find out."
A blast of light burst from my fingertips and cut through the sealed seam of the door. Kicking it out of the way, I pushed into the passenger car. Passengers swarmed toward the open door, but only a few managed to escape before two of the masked beings scrambled at intense speed over the tops of the seats and jumped down to block their way. We didn't have time to try to figure out who these people were on the train. All that mattered was getting them away and protecting as many of the passengers as we could.
I leapt forward and tackled the one who had blocked the escapees and we wrestled to the ground. His strength was somewhat shocking, as I had gotten quite used to overpowering people quickly. Someone putting up a fight was abnormal. At least anyone other than a giant. The masked man pressed his hands around my throat, and I could feel his tremendous grip cutting off my windpipe. I reared back and shot forward a punch that crunched his nose, the sound of it shattering filling my ears, but he refused to let go.
Behind us, I could see the rest of my group engaged in various battles with the other masked men, and I wondered if they were all as strong as this one. I could feel my vision beginning to fade as the darkness began creeping in around the edges, and I knew that I had to do something quick.
Fighting dirty it was.
With an upward thrust of as much power as I could manage lying on my back, I jammed my knee directly into my attacker’s crotch. Immediately his grip loosened, and I could feel the air rushing back into my lungs. I turned over and coughed as I tried to regain control and caught a glimpse of Ashe kicking one of the masked men in the chest, sending him flying backward several feet. A shout behind me drew my attention and I saw Aurora, cornered by three of them. Her eyes locked with mine and she jumped straight up in the air. As she did, I reached my hand toward her and felt the magic flow through me. The masked men dove at her, but I rose her above them, and then sent her crashing down on one. Her feet crushed the back of one’s head into the floor of the train, and she whipped around to kick another directly in the eye. She quickly drew her short blade and drove it through the third, ending his attempt at recovery.
I turned back to the man I had been fighting and saw he was now on h
is knee, trying to stand. I scrambled to my feet at the same time he did, and a grimace crossed his face that told me he intended on me paying dearly for my low blow. He swung at me, but I was faster than him, and I ducked it easily, sending a few shots to his ribs as I did so. I felt one crack under my fist, and he began to crumple again. I grabbed the back of his head with both hands and shoved it down as I brought my knee up, landing on his jaw and feeling it crack under the force. I twisted the head violently to one side and heard more breaks, this time in his neck, and he went limp in my hands. I let go, and his lifeless body dropped to the floor. Surveying the car, the passengers were mostly gone now, a few terrified ones still in the car, looking frantically around to see if they could escape yet, and the masked men who had assailed us were still fighting the rest of my group, though it looked like we might have gained the upper hand.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ashe grab onto one of the beings by their face. They struggled against her, but in one harsh movement she wrenched the mask from his head. It fell from her fingertips as a familiar, sweat-glistening face stared back at us. The muscles twitching at his jaw were the same as they had been in the alley the first time we fought.
"Shade."
The word fell out of my mouth without me even thinking about it and before my lips had closed again, I felt a hand clamp down on the back of my shirt and take me off my feet. Passengers still scrambled across the seats and the fight raging around us made thrashing against the person dragging me useless. There was no chance to push back until my knees hit the floor of the closet tucked at the back of the car. Launching up, I went for the man, but he pressed a hand to my chest and forced me back against the wall. I raised my fist to punch him, but he pulled his mask off before I could.
