“Am I?” She grinned and brushed her lips against Kat’s. “He sees only what he wishes to see. As do you.” She nibbled at Kat’s bottom lip. “And between that lies the truth.”
Stifling a moan, Kat tried hard not to succumb to the woman’s seduction. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult—especially with the phantom tendrils of magic that stroked and caressed her skin every once in a while. It was like having four or five lovers at once.
The inhuman side of her wanted to take this woman, to satisfy an intense, raging lust swirling within, with the promise of satisfying her bloodlust, too. However, her human side, the one that wanted to push away, to reject her advances, was starting to waver. Kat wasn’t sure if it was because the DD virus was winning, or because giving up would finally give her a chance to succumb to the tempest of emotions inside.
“And you want me to fuck you to know this truth, is that it?”
Chuckling, Satarah let go of Kat’s arms and moved her hands down to caress Kat’s breasts. Kat let out a little gasp as the woman brushed her thumbs over Kat’s nipples.
“Only if you want to, darling.” She kissed Kat again, this time nudging her tongue between Kat’s lips. “And by the feel of your body and the way you’re panting, I’d say you want to very much.”
They kissed, passionately, tongues touching, sweeping over each other, teeth nipping playfully.
Kat buried her hands in the woman’s long red hair, pulling her deeper into her. She tasted like fire, burning to the touch. Images of Hades flashed in her mind, and she broke the kiss and turned away, guilt wrapping around her heart.
“Baruch is weakening. Even now, his hold on you grows distant.”
Kat closed her eyes and sighed. “Because of you?”
“Yes,” Satarah purred as she trailed her tongue over Kat’s chin and down her neck. “I can help you, Kat.” She continued her path with her tongue down to Kat’s collarbone and over to the tops of her breasts. “If you help me.”
Kat tried not to respond to Satarah’s attentions. But it was getting difficult to stay uninvolved.
Her body was on fire. Desire hard and intense boiled inside her, waiting for release. Moisture pooled between her legs as the woman’s hands moved down her body and brushed up against her pubic mound. Her mouth also moved down, her lips and tongue circling one tight, aching nipple.
“Think about it, Kat,” Satarah said between licks. “Hades is dead, and Baruch wants to own you, to have you kneel at his feet.”
Her fingers slid into Kat’s cleft, spreading apart her nether lips with forceful strokes.
Instinctively, Kat opened her legs, succumbing to her body’s demands.
“I would not want that of you, Kat. Together…” She purred as she bit down on Kat’s nipple. Kat arched up into her mouth, pressing for more. “Together we could rule this city and more. You could have the power I know you crave.”
Kat closed her eyes as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. Crying out, she parted her legs even farther as Satarah buried three fingers into her sex, pumping and swirling them around.
“I offer you a partnership, Kat. Think about that.”
But Kat could no longer think. Too many sensations bombarded her at once. Emotions she had bottled up over Hades’ death and her imprisonment came gushing out of her just as a powerful orgasm ripped through her body. She cried out in fury as a sizzling whip of electricity surged over her repeatedly.
Satarah continued to manipulate Kat’s sex with her fingers, stroking and pinching on her clit to push her over the edge. It worked, as everything Kat had ever stored up inside, all her anger, all her sadness, all her joy at finding love with Hades, pent-up frustration and passion, lust, hunger responded. Everything came out of her in a powerful climax, one that nearly rendered her deaf and blind.
Tears leaked from her eyes as she rolled with the blissful waves of orgasm, struggling not to drown in its powerful grip. While Satarah held her and licked away her tears, her fingers still stroking and caressing her sex, Kat accepted her fate. She could let Baruch overpower her, transform her into a Dark Dweller, or she could align with Satarah, possibly get her cure, and get her revenge on Baruch.
Satarah pushed up on her elbows and gazed down at Kat. Smiling, she traced her finger over Kat’s lips. “Now you must sleep and heal. You’re going to need your strength soon enough.”
“I think I’ll stay awake a while.”
Satarah shook her head. “Hmmm, I don’t think so. You’re too much of a problem when you’re awake.”
Before Kat could protest, Satarah waved her hand over Kat’s eyes. Instantly Kat felt her lids droop and a wave of drowsiness surged over her.
“You bitch….” Her voice trailed away.
The woman’s magic put her to sleep, and there was nothing she could do but follow it down into the black.
A
fter the sun had set and full dark had settled in, Hades and Leucothea crept along the dirt and rocks on their bellies toward the abandoned gas station. It was very slow going, but eventually they made it without being seen or heard by the guards standing out in front of the gate to the city.
Once established at the run-down building, Hades saw that the wall was not that far away. They could easily run to it without being caught. Getting over it was, of course, another matter altogether.
“Do we have a rope?” Leucothea whispered to him.
“Yes, but we don’t have a hook, so that won’t help us get over.”
“You could toss me over.”
He turned to stare at her. “What? Are you out of your mind? We have no idea what’s directly on the other side. I could be throwing you into the lion’s den.”
“They have lions? How do you know?”
Hades shook his head. Sometimes he forgot how young and naive the Neried was. She’d spent her whole life, except for the last few months, in a small pristine village along the seashore, without access to the rest of the world. Although, he often wondered if that was not the better way to live. He wished he hadn’t seen half the shit he’d witnessed. Sometimes innocence was a virtue.
“It’s an expression, Thea. There aren’t any lions.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
Hades studied the wall. Because he was so rangy, she could climb up on his shoulders, reach the top, and possibly look over it. It was the only plan that could work. It was the only plan he could think of at the moment. The constant pain in his side kept him from doing much else.
“I’m not going to toss you over, but if I lift you up, you can check out things on the other side.”
“Okay.”
They inched to the far corner of the building along the crumbling cement. When they reached the furthermost edge, Hades grabbed her hand, and they sprinted to the rounded city wall. They made it without incident. Hades let out a deep breath of relief.
Setting his gun on the ground, he gave Leucothea his knee so he could heft her up to his shoulders. She was so light it was like lifting a small child. It didn’t take much effort to get her onto his shoulders. Once there, she was able to reach the top of the wall with her hands. Hooking them, she managed to pull herself up to peer over.
“What do you see?” Hades asked, trying to keep his voice low.
Instead of getting an answer, Hades no longer felt the weight of Leucothea’s feet on his shoulders. Looking up, he saw her climb over the wall and disappear.
“Thea!” he growled.
One of the guards twisted in Hades’ direction. He could see the man’s face in the light of the lamp. He looked as though he was straining to listen for another sound. Sinking back into the dark, Hades pushed up against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible. No easy feat, considering his size.
The guard walked a few feet along the curve of the wall, and then stopped. Hades could see him peering into the dark. Holding his breath, Hades brushed his fingers over the barrel of his shotgun resting against the wall and slowly pulled it up toward him. If he was discovered, he would go out blasting and hope that Leucothea understood what she needed to do.
Time seemed to slow as Hades waited. The guard didn’t move another inch but continued to stare into the night toward Hades’ location. Flinching, Hades felt a tickle of something on his skull. Slowly he looked up and saw the end of a rope poking him in the head. He grabbed it to keep it from wriggling about and making noise.
The guard took another step forward, but the sound of another guard’s voice stilled him. He glanced over his shoulder at his comrade and nodded. Turning, he walked back to his station and took the bottle the other guard offered him.
Hades let out his breath with a heavy sigh. That had been too close for his liking. Damn kid, she almost got him killed. Slinging the shotgun around one shoulder and the pack around the other, Hades took hold of the rope and started to climb. When he got over to the other side, he was going to knock some sense into that girl.
When he was at the top, Hades lay as close to the edge as possible and swung his leg over. He dropped to the ground and stayed in a crouch, glancing around for a sign of Leucothea. She stood a foot away, out in the open, waving at him.
He rushed over to her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her deeper into the shadows. “What are you doing?”
“There’s no one around, Hades. It’s like a ghost town.”
“What if someone had walked by, kid? You and me, we’d be dead right about now. Dead or prisoners.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic.” She motioned with her hand toward the deserted alleyway. “There is no one around.”
“Well, we got lucky this time. But from now on, would you listen to me?”
She nodded, but he could tell by the way her lip lifted she sure didn’t want to listen. He quickly scanned the area, ascertaining their situation. Leucothea had been right. So far, there was no one around. But that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t notice them eventually.
Eyeing a rope strung across a yard nearby, Hades spied some clothes hanging out, assumingly, to dry. By the weathered appearance of them, they’d been hanging there a lot longer than that.
Keeping his back to the wall, he moved down and reached for two brown cloaks. Handing one to Leucothea, Hades covered himself with one and put up the hood to camouflage his scarred bald head. Thankfully the Dwellers thought he was dead, so they wouldn’t be looking for him. But he had a reputation, and he certainly didn’t want to be recognized. Not before they could locate Kat.
When they were both covered, Hades tucked his gun under his arm and had Leucothea do the same. “Okay, we walk out like we belong here, but don’t make eye contact with anyone. Keep your head down but your eyes open. We’re looking for a big place; not sure what it will look like, but it should be big enough to house many people. From what I know about Satarah, she likes to surround herself with lots of big men.”
She looked at him, eyes narrowed. “Big like you?”
He ignored her question and grabbed her arm. “Give me the tracker.”
Leucothea slid it out of her pocket and handed it to him. He held it out toward the street to get an indication of where they needed to go. It looked like Kat was a mere click from where they stood.
“Okay, let’s go.” He walked out into the street, with Leucothea on his arm. To an untrained eye, they would look like a couple going home or going out for a drink or two at the local tavern.
As they walked through town, two things became evident quite quickly. This place was not the vibrant, bustling city Hades had heard about, and there were not many people around to populate the size of the place. All around them were run-down shanties with sagging porches and minimal yards. Garbage and debris lined the dirt streets. Every business they passed seemed to be closed.
Where were the bars and the brothels he had heard about? Inferno City was supposed to be a metropolis of sin and sin makers. All Hades saw were desolation and remorse in the buildings and in the few citizens they walked by.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Leucothea asked as they passed yet another closed shop.
“Yes, Kat’s here somewhere, but something’s wrong.” Hades pulled her to a stop and glanced around. He was missing something. He tried to think back to everything he had heard about Inferno. There had to be a reason why the town looked the way it did.
Out of the corner of his eye, movement caught his attention. Pulling Leucothea back off the road and into a shadow, Hades watched as another figure strode down the desolate street. The hood covered the figure’s face, but Hades had seen something interesting before he had turned down the street. Skin as dark as the night itself.
Was this the man Kat had told him about? The one with a possible cure for the DD virus? It couldn’t be a coincidence. How many people had skin as black as tar? This was definitely the man from his dream.
Hades pulled Leucothea back onto the road to follow.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re following the shadows.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” he growled. “Just stay by my side. I have a feeling it’s going to get interesting real soon.”
A few minutes later it was evident where the dark man was heading. A large brick building with a slanted roof. Not the most impressive of buildings but certainly big enough to house a few bad guys. The rapidly flashing light on the tracker confirmed that they were in the right place.
Ducking behind another shanty, Hades watched as the figure glanced curiously over his shoulder and then entered the building.
Grabbing Leucothea’s hand, Hades dashed toward the large door to the nondescript building. He put his ear to the wood but didn’t hear anything beyond it. Where were the guards? He expected the main place to be guarded. But, so far, there were none. Actually, there was no one around at all. Just dust devils and a few rodents scurrying down the street.
Hades brought up his shotgun and motioned for Leucothea to open the door. She wrapped her hand around the door handle and slowly pulled it open. Hades jumped in the doorway, his gun pointed. But there was no one there. The building was dark, like a bad omen, and eerily quiet.
Taking a step forward, Hades swung his weapon back and forth, scanning the area. There was nothing there but broken glass and wood, shattered bricks and garbage. He moved in farther, nodding to Leucothea to follow him closely. He paused with his next step when he heard a soft whirring sound farther in the building. A sound that seemed familiar to him.