April slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to her. I watched Britta walk away for a few more moments before I turned to face her. April’s bright green eyes looked up into mine and sparkled. Wiping an errant strand of hair away from her face, I leaned down to kiss her. She tasted like strawberries with just a sprinkle of sugar.
We broke apart and just held each other for a moment. “Care to accompany me to my humble abode?” I said with a smile.
“I’d be delighted.”
We both laughed for a second, enjoying the mock formality. I pulled her hand into mine, and we moved through the stone halls in the direction of my room. It was crazy just how empty this place felt, but it made sense. Since the demons had revealed themselves, the Ascendancy had been out in the field in full force. They had portals opening everywhere, and while we couldn’t close them, we could kill anything that came through.
It was a half measure that was taking a major toll on our resources, but for now, it was all we had. Our group was tired and beat up, but with no help from the council in sight, we had to keep fighting. I wasn’t sure exactly what those European dickheads needed to see before they decided to help us, but it seemed that outside of the apocalypse starting, we were on our own. I wondered if it would be different if the shoe were on the other foot. We would race across the pond to help them in their time of need. I’d like to think so, but who knows? In that situation, maybe we would be the assholes.
I snapped back from my thoughts enough to fumble open the door and make it inside. We made it about three steps inside, and I was already kissing April as the door closed. I didn’t know what had been coming over me lately, but all of my emotions had been much closer to the surface than I could remember them being before. Already I could feel my passion building into lust, and we hadn’t even gotten our clothes off yet.
April gave me a knowing smirk. At least she was going to be a willing conspirator. She backed away from me to take off her coat, and a growl escaped my lips. If we couldn’t be touching, then I wasn’t wasting time. I stripped off my coat and swords as fast as I could. I started to lift my T-shirt, and I felt April’s hands slide under it and move up my stomach to my chest. She ran her delicate fingers over my muscles, threatening to push me over the edge.
My shirt came off in a rush, and then I was reaching for my belt. April's hand batted mine away from it. She shoved me back a step, smiling at my frustration. She shimmied out of her pants and pulled her sports bra over her head. A second later, a pair of panties hit me in the chest. I tossed them aside and moved forward again, pulling her into my arms for a kiss. I ran my thumbs over the sides of her breasts and felt her hands go to work on my belt.
My pants came off easily enough, and if she couldn’t tell how eager I was before, there was no hiding it now. Lust bloomed inside of me, and I pulled her closer. We kissed for a moment, and then I scooped her into my arms. I carried her into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower. There was no reason to waste time. While the water warmed up, I lowered my mouth to hers again. This time, when her hands roamed across my belly, they moved lower instead of up toward my chest. Her slightest touch was enough to drive me wild.
I growled into her mouth, and I felt her laugh as our tongues met again. Screw it, the water would either be hot enough or it wouldn’t, but I wasn’t waiting anymore. I lifted April into the air, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. We entered the shower entwined, and the warm water cascaded around us. With the slightest movement of her hips, I found myself inside of her, and my desire for her blocked everything else out.
I turned, pinning her against the wall, and fell into her embrace. We stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, both of us losing ourselves in the other. Slowly, we came back to ourselves as the water turned colder. I shook my head for a moment as if clearing away some errant thought. April kissed the corner of my mouth, and I lowered her to the ground. I watched her grab the soap and start to clean herself, washing away the sweat from our battle and our passion.
“I’m going to have to find a way to keep throwing you into impossible situations. Especially if you’re going to respond like that every time we come home.”
I ran a hand down her back. I liked when she called it home. As if it was our place together and not just my place. “I don’t need to have my life threatened to want you.”
She turned around and hit me in the chest. “That’s not what I’m saying. It’s just, damn, what we just did. It was different somehow.”
Pressing myself against her back, I ran my hands down her arms. She leaned her head back so she could look at me. She was right; there was something different about our time together in the shower. It was like my senses had been overwhelmed. “I know what you mean. I’m not sure what came over me.”
“Well, whatever it was, feel free to do it again.”
I nipped at her ear and kissed her gently on the neck. This was the woman I loved. Everything about her felt right. She knew exactly what I was thinking, sometimes before I did. She loved me with all of her heart, and all I wanted to do was love her back. If our lives stayed like this forever, it would almost be too perfect.
“You finish up here; I’ll get dinner started.” April thrust the bar of soap to my chest and stepped out of the shower.
I lost myself for a few moments, enjoying the sensation of the cold water running over my skin and the smell of the soap. Somehow the smell of marinara sauce reached my nose and broke me out of the haze I had found myself in. I’d never been able to smell something like that from so far away before. My stomach started growling at the thought of food, and I moved out of the shower quickly. I tossed on a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt before heading into the kitchen.
April had the food all laid out on the table when I came in, and it looked fantastic. The smell of it was making my mouth water, but it almost all went to waste when April moved to check on the sauce. She lifted up on her tippy toes to lean over and smell the sauce. When she did it, her shirt pulled up, and I noticed she only had her panties on. The sight of her cute pink panties was almost too much for me. I wanted to grab her and make love to her again. Screw the food. We could hit the cafeteria later.
She turned around and caught me staring at her. “Jackson, a gentleman wouldn’t look.”
“I never claimed to be a gentleman,” I said with a smirk. I walked forward and slapped her butt. “Finish getting dressed, and I’ll get this sauce on the table.” She returned a few moments later wearing her tight workout shorts. Those tight sexy shorts weren’t much better than the panties as far as the sexy factor went. In fact, they might have been a shade hotter. Damn it, what was wrong with me? I needed to get my head out of the gutter and back on the food.
I passed April a bowl of pasta and pointed to the bread that was already on the table. She smiled and headed that way. It was probably just my imagination, but she might have had a little more wiggle in her step than usual. She turned and looked at me before sitting down. I could see the laughter bubbling in her eyes. Ok, so she had been screwing with me. What did I expect? Since we came home, I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off of her. At a time like this, I almost didn’t care. If she wasn’t careful, dinner was going to end up on the floor, and I’d have her on the table instead.
Both of us fell into silence as we ate. The emotions of our battle with the archfiend were finally starting to settle in. The battle had been a close call, and we had been lucky to make it out of there alive. The entire thing left me feeling drained, and the carbie food didn’t really help with that. The one thing it did help with was replacing the calories we lost during the fight and calling our gift. April didn’t look to be fairing much better as her chin bobbed against her chest a few times as she fought to stay awake. After one too many close calls with her face almost landing in the pasta bowl, I stood up and scooped her into my arms.
“My hero,” she said with a yawn.
I kissed her on the cheek and carried
her into the bedroom. After tucking her into bed, I grabbed the book Adam had given me. I wasn’t sure how much more of it I would get done before I fell asleep, but I wanted to read it. It almost felt as if I had to read it. Something about this story and what was happening now seemed too close together for me to ignore. I flipped open to where Adam had left off and started reading.
CHAPTER 9
SIR ROLAND’S REDEMPTION
Sir Roland and Bristow came upon the portal faster than they expected, and just like everything else on this side of the enemy lines, it was lightly guarded. The demons thought we couldn’t close the portal, so as their forces came through, they were quickly moved toward the front lines. It seemed like such a simple thing, to get close to the portal and close it, but Sir Roland knew it would never be that easy.
They waited at the edge of the tree line. There was no way to know when the next group of demons would be ferried through the portal into our world. The time to act was now. As soon as they attacked the portal, Sir Roland expected resistance. The plan was for Bristow to hold them off for as long as possible. Hopefully, he would be able to buy Sir Roland enough time to close the portal.
Sir Roland placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Are you ready?” he asked in a kind voice. He knew that the last few moments of their lives might be spent in a horribly brutal fashion.
“I would gladly give my life to ensure that no more demons can enter our realm.”
Sir Roland squeezed his shoulder once and then stood up. He checked his sword to make sure that it was loose in his scabbard. “It may come to that, but do not throw your life away needlessly.” Bristow stood and checked his sword as well.
Sir Roland gave the boy one more appraising look and smiled to himself. He had come a long way since they had started their journey together. He was proud of him. If he lived through this, he would be a man grown and ready to be knighted. “We take this first group together, and then I will make a run for the portal.”
“It’s been an honor to fight by your side, Sir Roland.”
When he looked into the boy’s eyes, he could tell that he meant every word of it. In some small way, he felt redeemed from the sins of his past. “The honor has been mine, Bristow.”
They shared one last look, and then Sir Roland rushed forward, pulling his sword from his scabbard as he went. The first two demons fell under his blade before Bristow even reached the battle. A third demon landed a blow to his chest with a claw, shredding his armor as if it were tissue paper before Bristow managed to crush its skull from behind. They finished off the last three demons together, and Sir Roland ran for the portal.
Drops of bright red blood littered the ground as he passed. Sir Roland was wounded, but determination not to fail again drove him forward. He pulled the stone from inside of his armor and started to chant as he grew closer to the portal. The stone grew warm in his hand as he pushed his power into it. The rock burned so fiercely that the metal of his gauntlets started dripping to the ground. No matter the cost, he wouldn’t fail now, not when he was this close. The portal started to shimmer and waver. Cracks in its vibrant red glow appeared around the edges. The stone was working. Now all they needed was time.
Three demons rushed toward the portal. Bristow couldn’t understand what they were saying. All of it came out as squeaks and growls. He knew what he had to do now, and rushed forward to meet them. The demons had been so focused on the portal, they didn’t see him until the last moment. Bristow brought the first one down with a simple thrust to the chest. He moved under the claws that lashed out and managed to hack at one of their legs before dancing lightly away.
The demons rushed at him again, mouths open, saliva pouring out between their teeth. He managed to get his sword up to deflect the claws of the first demon. Spinning around it, he landed another blow to the second one, making one of its arms useless. He was just about to congratulate himself when the first demon’s tail slammed into his back, sending him sprawling into the dirt. The demon leaped away, heading for Sir Roland.
Bristow pulled the dagger from his boot and sent it flying toward the charging demon. He smiled as it buried itself up to the hilt in the creature’s back. The second demon slammed him into the ground. It felt as if a horse had kicked him in the chest. The demon’s jaws clamped down on his left arm and tore a scream from his lungs. The beast reared back to get a better grip, and his arm came free from its mouth. Blood flowed freely from where the teeth had punctured his skin.
Somehow he managed to climb to his feet. The demon moved forward, slowly stalking him. Bristow stumbled backward and slashed his sword in front of him in a desperate move to keep the demon back. The demon sensed weakness and charged forward, razor-sharp teeth glowing in the sunlight. Bristow swung again, and this time, his sword found its mark. The demon fell to the ground, clutching its chest. Bristow stabbed the demon again, and a sense of calmness washed over him. He could do this; he had to.
The last demon was scratching frantically at its back, trying to remove the dagger. Bristow removed its head before leaning forward to pluck his dagger from its back. He slid the blade back into his boot after wiping it off on the demon’s chest. He turned away from the portal, ready to face whatever was coming next.
Sir Roland’s hand was engulfed in flames. There was nothing that he could do about it. Shielding the limb against the stone was out of the question. He would be lucky if the healers could repair this kind of damage. If not, the loss of a limb was a small price to pay for saving the world. He cast a furtive glance in Bristow’s direction and saw the boy standing there with three demons dead at his feet. Bravo, lad. He turned back toward the portal and continued to pour as much power into the stone as he could.
The edges of the portal were starting to shrink. At least, he thought that they must be. From this close, it was hard to see anything except for the swirling red light. The burning pain that was shooting up his arm was also a distraction he didn’t need. He sent a little bit of magic into the limb to deaden it from the pain and then focused on the portal once again.
The magic around the edges of the portal had started to grow wild. The red light sparkled and flashed as if it was agitated. The black and red energy sizzled and snapped against each other as the magic holding the portal open started to fade. He could feel it now. The portal’s connection to their world was weakening.
Sweat dripped off of his brow as he fought to remain conscious. It was taking longer than he had anticipated for the portal to close. All he could do now was pray that they would be given enough time to succeed. He looked to the sky and asked God to lend him the strength to continue.
The ground below his feet started to shake, momentarily breaking Sir Roland’s concentration. A curse escaped his lips as he looked to where Bristow stood. A giant worm had broken through the earth not fifty feet away from the boy. Riding on its back was an archfiend. Sir Roland called forth his magic with every ounce of his resolve and thrust it into the stone. It wasn’t enough to seal it, but again, he thought the edges of the portal might have drawn just a bit closer together.
Bristow wouldn’t be able to hold the fiend back for long. Sir Roland pulled his sword again and prepared himself for the battle to come. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he kept the magic flowing into the stone. He turned and stood his ground, waiting for the demon to strike.
Bristow didn’t know what he could do except try to buy Sir Roland as much time as possible. He choked down his fear and started running. Everything in his mind and body told him to turn around. That he should be running the other way. He crushed those feelings; only a coward would turn away from his duty. His resolve hardened, and he managed to keep his legs moving forward. He lashed out at the huge worm, and his blade bounced harmlessly away. The beast rose up as a serpent would and turned its mouth toward him. The creature let out a roar, and Bristow stared up into a circle filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
As far as he could tell, the creature didn’t have any eyes, b
ut it knew exactly where he was. He almost tried to run away then. The thought of being swallowed by the worm was almost too much for him to handle. Instead, he lashed out at the creature again. The worm screamed, and its head darted toward him. At the last second, he threw his body to the side, and the creature’s massive head slammed into the ground. It shook itself, stunned for a moment, and Bristow lashed out again. This time, his sword opened a small cut along the worm’s face. If only I had enough time for a thousand more of those strikes.
Sir Roland gasped as the worm lunged for Bristow, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the boy rise to his feet and strike the creature. If he lived, the boy would become one hell of a knight. The fiend jumped from the beast’s back and landed softly on the ground. He cast one arm out in Bristow’s direction, and the boy went flying across the clearing. There was no way to tell if he still lived as his body tumbled across the ground.
This was going to be it. His final stand. He would either seal the portal or die trying. Sir Roland continued to call the magic into him, and as it came, he pushed all of it into the stone. He continued to mumble the words Sir Aldin had taught him, even as the fiend charged straight at him. He braced himself and brought up his sword. The fiend tried to cast him to the side, but the stone protected him.
The fiend slowed, not expecting him to still be standing. Reaching out, it summoned a massive blade of black steel into its hand. The blade reflected the dying light of the day, and something resembling laughter rolled out from its lips.
“Flee while you can.” The fiend’s voice echoed around him.
“I’d prefer to stay.”
“Then you die,” the fiend said, its gross chuckling noise again filling the air.
“There are worse things than death, demon.”
“And I intend to show all of them to you.”
The fiend spread its wings and then lashed out. Sir Roland managed to bat the blade aside as he continued to chant. He wouldn’t be able to last much longer if he continued to funnel all of his power into the stone. The portal flickered, and the fiend struck again. This time, he deflected most of the strike, but the blade sliced through the armored plating on his shoulder as if it were made of cloth. The stone would have fallen to the ground, but the heat had fused it to his hand. He thanked God for the small miracle.
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