Book of the Damned: A-E5L1-01-00: (A reverse harem, post-pandemic, slow-burn romance) (The JAK2 Cycle, Book 2)

by V. E. S. Pullen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sasha

  I know she thinks she’s got me fooled, but she doesn’t.

  I released her, let her regain her equilibrium, but I was nowhere close to letting her go. No matter how much she tells herself it’s for the best, it very much isn’t.

  I followed her dutifully down the stairs after we made sure no one was around, then stood behind her staring blankly at Jason and Ryan. Azzie wasn’t visibly flustered, but she wasn’t completely on point, and I saw her touch her lips at least twice. They knew why it took us so long, and it was killing them.

  Azzie motioned us to follow her, quietly, and she disappeared into the depths of the storage area. As we passed the crates of liquor and kegs of beer, Jason lifted up a bottle of vodka and tucked it against his side. Ryan grabbed tequila, and I went for bourbon. It was going to be a long night, in a one-room cabin, with these assholes.

  In a far corner, she shined a flashlight I didn’t realize she was carrying towards the floor. There was a door there, sunk into the floor a good four feet, with a small ladder leading down to the bottom of the pit it sat in. Azzie climbed down and punched in a code on the ancient keypad, a loud click as the lock disengaged, giving the door a shove. It creaked but opened, and she disappeared through it after looking up at us and tipping her head.

  One by one, we followed her down the ladder and through the door, and then she closed it behind us.

  “Nobody knows the secrets of this town anymore,” she said at normal volume, “no one but me.” I heard the pain in her voice — Mouse knew too, but Mouse was gone. “There are steam tunnels running under all of downtown. They go out to the medical center, the school, and the old railroad station. You’re going to go to the railroad station.” She handed me a compass. “Do you know how to use this?” I scoffed at her and she shrugged. “Okay, well, you want to go north-northwest. The tunnels are fairly consistent with a grid layout, but unless Mouse has been down here doing maintenance, things might have changed in the last four years. Northwest until the tunnel ends at a door marked Witch’s Hat. Got it?”

  I nodded. So did the others.

  “Okay. I’m going to give Sasha a code. If you can’t get to the Witch’s Hat, it should let you out at any of the other doors but try to get as far in that direction as you can. None of the new military buildings have steam tunnel access so you don’t have to worry about ending up in one of those, but there are some occupied places out that direction so please be careful. Luckily the doors always open into a basement area, so there’s at least that.”

  We all nodded again, the girls’ eyes wide in the low beam of the flashlight. I think shit just got real for them.

  “Can all of you go forward about ten feet? I need to talk to Sasha.”

  They moved, grudgingly. The girls didn’t want to get away from the light, the guys didn’t want to leave her with me. She got right up against my ear, cheek to cheek. “In the tunnels, the doors will unlock to M-O-U-S-E-R-U-L-E-Z — Mouse Rulez with a Z. Got that? The new codes for Mouse’s door, her alarm, and the bunker access and alarm, are S-A-S-H-A-S-U-C-K-S. Do I need to repeat it?” I growled at her and nipped at her earlobe, biting it hard. She squeaked, but was laughing. “Sorry, but it was a rough night and you were pissing me off,” she apologized, if you could call that an apology.

  “Paybacks are my favorite,” I licked her ear and she squealed again, pushing at me. I laughed softly and stole a quick kiss.

  After that, she became very serious, very suddenly. “If they do anything at all that makes you feel like you’re in jeopardy, go to the bunker. Don’t hesitate, don’t try to handle it yourself. I don’t trust any of them,” she said, and I was overflowing with a warm, tingly feeling. “But I’d prefer to keep everyone away from there until we’re all together, I don’t want them to know about it until we’re going into lockdown. That okay?”

  I nodded. I got it, if those assholes could find that place, there was a good chance they’d just take off and go find someone to tell that would profit them.

  She sighed. “Be careful, Sasha. Please be careful. I’m sorry I have to ask this of you.”

  “Babydoll, it’s okay. Just get there as soon as you can in the morning, okay?”

  She glared at me but huffed out a laugh.

  “I don’t think we’ll get there until tomorrow night,” she said, mouth pursing as she stared past me at the others. “I’ll try to get us there earlier but we might need the dark. Depends on how difficult things get.” She shook it off and looked up at me again. “If you get to the railroad station, you can follow the tracks for a long time. They run parallel to the road, about 200 yards into the woods. There will be a splitter about a mile and a half from the station. Go north from there through the woods, you’ll come out at the road about a quarter mile or so east of Mouse’s driveway. Remember that area?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. Be careful crossing the road. If you come out where I said, there shouldn’t be any cameras, but if you can’t take the tracks and have to go by road, try to get on the north side of it as close to town as possible, and stay inside the tree-line. There are motion sensor cameras on the north side of the road every 400 feet or so. They have them along all the roads that hit the barrier, even if the road ends there, but they also take still shots every five minutes even without motion, it’s how they make sure they’re still operating. They’ll pick up anything bigger than a coyote, so if you need to cross the road, make sure you watch the tree line on the other side for at least five minutes — if a red light appears, move up the road a hundred feet and try again. Got it?”

  I nodded again. I had no idea how thorough they were, and anxiety crawled in the pit of my stomach. If we fucked up… we can’t fuck up.

  “Once you get to Mouse’s driveway, you can walk on it no problem. She has cameras too, but that whole system is closed circuit. Go to her cabin, use the code,” she giggled softly and I growled but it wasn’t even close to being real. “let everyone in, and stay inside. I left all the lights on there when we left the other day, so it won’t seem odd to any aerial patrols if they stay on, but you all need to stay inside. You might not notice a drone at night, but it will notice you if you’re sitting out on the porch or something, okay?” I nodded again. “The food in the pantry should be good, even if everything in the fridge is bad. Try not to let them get too drunk, okay? That’s when people fuck up.”

  “I’m going to leave my bottle. I think you need to explain all this to them too, so they understand, okay?”

  She nodded, taking my hand and leading me forward to them. I wouldn’t let her release it when we got there.

  “Okay, Sasha has much more detailed instructions, but here’s the bones of it. If you can stay in the tunnels until the railroad station, you can follow the tracks west almost all the way. Sasha knows where to go north through the woods to the road. He also knows what to look for, to spot the motion-sensor cameras all along the road. You need to listen to him, and be careful not to get caught on camera. Once you’re on the north side of the road, or if you end up having to walk along the road rather than the tracks, you have to stay inside the tree-line or you’ll get spotted. He knows where to turn to get to the cabin where we’ll meet you tomorrow night at the latest. Once you’re inside the cabin, you need to stay in there. There are drones flying around the woods at night, they will see you if you go out on the porch or go outside, okay?”

  All of them nodded at her, as silent as I was every time I tried to absorb the details of just exactly what we were living in.

  “You can bring the alcohol, but I really suggest you don’t get drunk, because drunk people do stupid shit, and you won’t survive if you’re stupid. Sasha will, because I told him what to do, and he will leave you to die in a heartbeat if you fuck up. Understand? Good. And if anything happens to him, if any one of you decides that you want to take him out when he’s out there alone with you, know this: you won’t get out of here without me. And y
ou can’t hide in my town, I know all its secrets. I will find you. I will cut off your fingers and carve out your tongue, and turn you over to someone on base once I know you can’t communicate anything but the agonized mewls of an animal in a trap. They will kill you, no hesitation. And if they don’t, I’ll set aside my moral compass and kill you myself. Understand? Without him, you don’t survive. Without him, you’re going to die choking on your own blood. We clear?”

  “That’s so fucking hot,” Adriana murmured, staring at Azzie with wide, stunned eyes. The others grunted in agreement and Azzie shuddered.

  “You guys are fucked up. I thought I was fucked up but seriously… this is just… creepy. You are creepy motherfuckers, you know that?”

  “Tell us again what you’ll do if Sasha’s hurt?” Gemma murmured, stepping closer. “And talk slower. Really draw it out.” She let her eyes roam all over Azzie appreciatively. “I’m not usually into chicks, but I’ll make an exception for you. Licking pussy can’t be much different from sucking cock, and I’m an expert. You in?”

  Azzie began to laugh, burying her face in my shoulder, as I fought back the raging hard-on that was trying to develop while Gemma propositioned her. Shit. Shit. Damn. Wasn’t going to share outside our group but damn.

  She finally got her laughter under control and lifted her face, but didn’t release the grip on my arm or step back away from me. “Gemma, I wouldn’t let you near my vagina if you were the only gynecologist on earth and I needed my annual. As fun as I think your forked tongue and acidic spit might be on my girlie bits, I’m going to pass. But thanks, that was flattering.”

  “You as hard as us, bro?” Jason directed at me, smirking. “You sure you don’t want to talk her into a little show-and-tell before we take off?”

  “Only tongues getting near her pussy are mine and my four brothers’,” I said, all friendly-like, enjoying how tight her grip became, and the hiss of indrawn breath. “You’d do well to remember that.”

  “How about fingers?” Adriana crooned. “I’d be good with just fingerbanging her. Or watching someone since my nails aren’t exactly conducive to lesbian action.” She stared sadly at her manicure. “I really just want to make her come, see all that hate and anger redirected to better purposes.”

  “Nope, same deal,” I said. “Only fingers are ours or hers. You’re out of luck.” I heard her faint gasp.

  “I’d watch that,” Gemma said agreeably. “Well?”

  “THIS CONVERSATION IS OVER,” Azzie whisper-shouted at us. “Now give me all your cell phones and the truck keys, and get the fuck out of here.”

  She handed me the flashlight; we passed her our cells and I gave her my keys, leaning in to whisper, “Sorry if that embarrassed you, babydoll.” She nodded, avoiding my eyes, and I had to lift her chin to get her to look at me. “Meant every word, but didn’t mean to make you shy.” She blushed, I could see it even in the slight illumination of the flashlight, and I felt a weird sort of triumph. “But I do love when you get shy—” I truly did enjoy hearing her catch her breath, “—it’s like a red flag to a bull.”

  “Sasha—” she was pleading with me to stop, but I couldn’t. If this was the last time? No.

  “You’re mine, Azzie. Mine and my brothers’. You need to accept that,” I said solemnly. “We’re not going to let you go.”

  She closed her eyes, shaking her head, and I wanted to crawl inside her brain and find out what was making her so sad. “You have to, Sasha, one way or another,” she whispered, tears spiking her lashes. She shook her chin free from my grasp. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  I stole another kiss, soft and sweet, and she shuddered. “Tomorrow.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Azzie

  It was ridiculously easy to finish up the rest of my plan once I was away from Sasha — as far as distractions go, he was tops.

  I shut them into the tunnel and made my way up to the back hall of the bar, making sure no one was around, then snuck out the back, easily finding the obnoxious truck in the lot. I was really glad the windows were tinted so dark, no one needed to see me driving that fucker since as far as the rest of the base was concerned, I didn’t know how to drive. And actively avoided it.

  They had no idea that I’d been driving Mouse’s customized humvee since I was thirteen.

  I maneuvered the truck close to the club I’d very clearly enunciated the name of several times in the bar, parking in an alley next to it, taking out my cell phone and sending random texts to Sasha every few minutes, calling his phone twice, then texting Jason, then Gemma.

  Me: Baby, I’m sorry. You know I get jealous. That fucking waitress was all over you!

  Me: Sasha, please.

  Me: Sasha, please don’t do this. Please just answer me.

  Me: You know I can’t go in there, I’m not old enough! Why are you torturing me? I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to say those things.

  Me: Please Sasha, you’re breaking my heart. Please just answer your phone.

  Me: Jason, please tell Sasha to answer his phone, I need to talk to him. Please?

  Me: Gemma, I know you hate me, but would you please tell Sasha to answer his phone? Please?

  After a few minutes, I turned off all their phones, removing the batteries from the Callis’s and Vipers’. I left Sasha’s battery in, waited ten minutes, then turned his phone back on, texting Jason from his: “I’m taking her home, and calling it a night. Sorry about that.”

  I drove the truck to Sasha’s house and parked it in the driveway, knocking tentatively on their front door then circling around the side until I found a basement window.

  The expression on Luka’s face when he noticed me laying on the ground outside the window, my head tilted at a painfully awkward angle, with eyes wide, sightless, and staring at nothing… it was priceless. Horribly mean, and about to catch me a beating, but priceless.

  “Oh my god, oh my god,” he cried, falling to his knees beside me. “No, no, no, no, no, not Azzie. No. No. Oh my—”

  “Boo!” I sat up, grabbing him, and he shrieked, back-pedaling away from me and falling on his ass. I sprang to my feet and took off, but I was horribly slow compared to him, and he caught me up and swung me around.

  I was laughing, until I saw his face, and then I wrapped my arms around him as he crumpled to his knees, burying his head against my abdomen. He was shaking, and the sounds he was making… no human should make sounds like that.

  “Luka, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” I just kept repeating over and over as he got himself under control, and finally he stood up, lifting me and tossing me over his shoulder, not saying a word or letting me see his face. I hung there, not protesting, and let him carry me into the house.

  He set me down on the bed, Sev looking between us, confused, as Luka turned and disappeared into the bathroom.

  “I fucked up,” I said to Sev miserably. “I pretended I was dead.”

  “Fuck, Azzie!” he shook his head at me, totally disappointed which was killing me. “On the night that Sasha is off who-the-fuck-knows-where? Right after you almost died in the hospital? What’s in your head? Why would you do that?”

  “Because I’m an asshole,” I said, and fell back onto the bed, covering my face. A few minutes later, the bed tilted as someone crawled on top of me.

  “You’re a horrible human being,” Luka said, peeling my hands off my face. He was kneeling over me, shirtless, his face scrubbed almost raw and his eyes tinged with red. “That was so mean.”

  The corners of my mouth crept down, and I snuffled. “I’m sorry, Luka,” I said quietly. I wanted to hold his hands too, but I wasn’t sure if I should, and hesitated. He twisted his grip until our fingers were twined together, and rested them on his thighs as he sat back on his heels. “I wasn’t thinking. I knocked on the front door and you didn’t hear me, so I went for the window, and you didn’t notice me, and I just wanted to prank you.”

  “Congratulations,” he said, shaking his head. “Yo
u’re terrible. So mean. Core-fucking-evil.” He played with my fingers, staring down at my hands. I truly felt bad, I did, but… but… he was shirtless again. And everything was so smooth and golden, and the colors of his tattoos were so beautiful. “Hussy,” he breathed, and my eyes darted up to find him staring at me from under his hair with a knowing grin. “You checkin’ me out, Azzie?”

  “Y-yes,” I stuttered, feeling very trapped right then.

  “And?”

  “You know art history is my favorite class, right?”

  He narrowed his eyes, confused.

  “You’re like a sculpture, Luka. You’re so beautiful that it’s unreal.”

  His blush rivaled my worst.

  “You only gave me three stars and might recommend, but then you say that to him?” Sev crossed the room and knelt next to the bed, leaning on his elbows and hovering over my face. “I kinda want to drool right now, right onto your face.”

  “Don’t you do that, Sevastien Kolek!” I snarled at him. “I will kill you dead!”

  “Too soon, Azzie-pie,” Luka chided me, then I realized both my hands were locked in his. “Do it Sev.”

  “NOOOOOOO!” I squealed, jerking away, but Luka was sitting on top of me holding me down, and Sev had my face pinned between his hands as he leaned in, making sounds in the back of his throat. I squinched my eyes shut and clenched my whole face just waiting for it.

  “Fuck, you’re adorable,” Luka whispered, smoothing my forehead with his fingertips. “Open your eyes, Azzie.”

  I shook my head violently. Sev dug his fingers into my hair, holding me still. “Open them,” he demanded. I pursed my mouth tight and kept them shut.

  “You owe me, Azzie,” Luka growled, sounding genuinely angry, and my eyes popped open.

  “What should we do to her?” Sev asked, my eyes darting between them. Luka was frowning but Sev looked amused. Amused and bent on revenge.