Tethered redemption, p.10
Tethered Redemption, page 10
I made a mental note to treat Nurse to something later. "Bullshit… you killed me. It’d be counterintuitive for you to heal me. Besides, if I remember right, Specialists don't undergo the training required to heal what happened to me. They can only treat small wounds. How'd you do it?”
Vero sniffed as if she was beginning to come down with a cold, but it rang more like a sob—a quiet sound, full of heartache. She spun around and offered her proof. I was forced to witness the small bloody nub on her back. One of her wings had been sheared. The separation didn’t seem to be a quick and clean-cut, either; it looked slow and brutal.
Suddenly the soft grass under my fingertips took on an entirely different texture. Feathers. My eyebrows shot up as I inspected her mournful face. I couldn’t have been more shocked. Vero had torn away her wing to use its healing properties, and she’d done it without the sword. That was pretty heavy stuff. Even as a demon, I understood the full extent of her sacrifice.
Damn it all. “Fine. This makes us even. But things won’t suddenly be as they were before.”
“I understand.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “So, does the debt-bond work, even if I was the one who caused you to almost die?” Vero gave a watery, not quite smile at her own in-bad-taste joke as she moved her injured side wrong and sucked in a breath through her teeth. The wing stump had been blackened. She must have had to burn the skin around the bone to stop the bleeding. I suppose I should be thankful that I’d been unconscious.
“No, praise Lucifer.” I replied. "Once was more than enough."
The angel wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Could you not use that name in my presence? It’s blasphemous.”
“Forgive me for being a fucking demon.” My eyes rolled upward. What the hell did she expect from me? I paused, mulling something over. “You know, your angel buddies won’t be so understanding when you tell them who your wing saved.”
“They’re of no concern.”
“Oh yeah?”
“The others will simply have to make an exception and lower the barrier for you when we get to Resvener.”
“Exsqueeze me?” I lifted my pinky finger to clean out my ear. “I am not going anywhere near that place with you. In case you forgot, you’re my prisoner."
Nurse wheezed something incredibly close to a laugh. Twisting my neck, I glowered at him, and he shut his slack-jawed trap right up. The fucking nerve of him sometimes.
Vero frowned. “Not anymore. In this state, you couldn’t defeat me even if I were to lie down head first on a guillotine. You’re going to accompany me to Resvener. End of story.” Her voice was hard as she added, “I’d rather not knock you out and drag you.”
“Well you’re just going to have to—I’d sooner dip the first three inches of my dick in a blender.” My gaze slid to hers, waiting for the golden depths of them to widen in shock like they always did when I said something sexually crude. When they remained unmoved, I tried again. “Don’t let it concern you, though, dear Vero, there’d still be another seven left for you.”
Her cheeks, noticeably paler after the loss of her wing, didn’t darken a fraction at my comment. My heart sank. She was different now. That was a shame. Even though I’d just told her things wouldn’t be the same between us, I’d secretly been hoping to bring back some of the innocent Vero I’d been getting to know the past two days... not this battle-hardened Vero I witnessed before me now. The whole unfamiliar manner of her militant stance unnerved me. Poised and threatening, as if she’d be ready to subdue me at a moment’s notice.
She was right, though. What could I really do if she decided to angelhandle me back to her little viper pit? I couldn’t fight a leaf blowing in the wind in this state.
She continued grimly, “We need your power. The zombie hordes are growing every day, and you’re the only one who can control them. For all I know, they could be ransacking Resvener right now without me there to protect it.”
Ouch. Kick me while I’m down.
My lip curled in a sneer, hiding what felt like a second wave of betrayal.
“Oh good, I was starting to worry you’d saved my life because you actually felt guilty or something. I feel much more cooperative knowing you only fished me out of the water to use me as pest repellent.” I jerked my thumb over to Nurse, who was using a handful of grass to dab at my wound uselessly. “Don’t worry, angel cake, your precious city is fine.”
“How can you possibly know that?” she asked, stomping around to stand in front of me, hands on her hips.
“I was the one ordered to drive the zombies that way. What did you think I was doing near there in the first place? Not exactly up the block from me, if you hadn’t noticed.”
Vero went still, her pupils dilating like a wolf about to fight a bear out of its territory. “So, I lost my wing for nothing?”
“I guess that’s the way of it.” My voice was an icy taunt. “What now? Going to use that pistol on me? Or would you prefer to just throw me back in the river and watch me drown slowly.”
There was a single heartbeat in which the look on her face told me she’d like nothing more, but then it melted into something more akin to self-pity. She glanced to the side of me, not quite willing to meet my eyes.
“No.” After a long moment, she sighed and crouched beside me, hugging her knees to her chin. “No, I don’t think I could kill you twice. It was hard enough to go through once.”
"You're giving me whiplash." I complained. "Don't you want to gut me?"
Her whole posture melted, and the look she gave me was one of honesty. "No. That is the last thing I want to do."
Despite my bitter feelings, a smile broke across my face. “Finally giving in to some of my irresistible charm?” I asked smugly, waggling my eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
She bit her lip, trying to hold in an answering smile and failing. That delicate pink hue I craved crawled up her neck and into the tips of her ears. I wanted to reach out and brush the strands of white hair from her face as she ducked her head into her knees and mumbled something I couldn’t quite hear.
“Hmm?” I asked, my voice dropping low and breathless when her eyes peeked out from between her hands.
“Yes, maybe I am,” she whispered.
“Isn’t that chummy?” a hoarse voice yelled. The sound chaffing like a piece of rough sandpaper across my ball sack. “Never could find a bitch that didn’t want your cock, Akmon.”
Vero and I jerked our attention toward the direction of two stocky figures drawing closer, just near where the path turned off at the base of the tree line. Both demons held axes covered in blood and brought with them the clear stench of old zombie gore that I could smell from the other side of the river.
“You’re a tough one to find. Been looking all over that damn pest infested city.”
A mixture of emotions lanced through me. Annoyance at the interruption to our fragile new… whatever it was, blossoming between Vero and I. And fear. Not only for the presence of Nurse, who thankfully was edging his way back toward the sewer pipe and out of the line of the intruders’ sight, but also because the brief conversation I’d had with Drath suddenly came sprawling back through my head. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the ugly demons with black military uniforms were. Shit.
“Jealous, Robbie-boy?” I scrambled for his name through the many dozens of Drath’s war meetings I’d been forced to sit through. “I thought you and Mark here were an item,” I taunted, attempting to pull some of their focus from Vero to me.
“Murk, not Mark,” the taller demon, with striped battle wounds all up and down his face, grunted in a slow, thick accent. He was obviously a human turned demon, and while they were great for brawn, most demon-turned humanity never had much in the brain department.
Both demons were covered in satanic reddish skin, black sulfur tattoos, and burn scars from extended punishment time in the Hell Pits—as was the norm for lower ranking demons. Rob had been an angel, once upon a time, so he had horns similar to mine, except his were tooth-decay yellow and stuck straight up from his spiky black hair like that of a prized bull.
“And you better watch who you shit talk to,” Rob interjected, his threat a little too loud over the rush of the water before them. “Not all of us like swallowing cock, pretty boy. Another comment like that and Murk here might accidently hit you in the line of fire.”
Vero stood and held her ground beside me. “Friends of yours?”
“Ah, maybe hit men come to kill you and break the life-debt bond?” I whispered back. Despite the terrible pain it cost me, I hauled myself upright and teetered unsteadily on my feet. Blood-soaked feathers and pebbles clung to me, the most useless armor one could imagine.
“Just perfect,” she growled reaching for her pistol. “There’s always something with you, isn’t there?”
The blatantly protective glance Vero shot me did wonderful things to my groin.
“What can I say?” I choked out. “I like to keep the spark alive….”
All too soon, and completely synced with some signal I didn’t see, Rob and Murk raised their axes above their heads and ungracefully waded into the river toward us, their eyes fixed directly on Vero.
Chapter 10
Veroseline
It didn’t come as a surprise when Akmon began to scan the landscape for an escape route. What did raise my eyebrows was his declaration. “Go, Vero. Nurse and I can fend them off. If you hurry, you can reach Resvener before they can get to you.”
Did he really expect me to leave? “That’s real heroic and all, but to be honest, you’re kind of a wimp. They’d blow right past you.”
Akmon’s jaw set tight in irritation, and despite his nauseated appearance, two spots of color appeared high on his cheeks.
I cleared my throat. “And you’re severely injured, of course. I couldn’t abandon the person I sacrificed a wing for, now could I? What kind of servant of Almighty do you take me for?”
“One who’s smart enough to shut up and do as she’s told.” He muttered. “There’s a good chance they won't kill me.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” I said, side-eyeing the big dumb one. “They don’t look like the type to spare you simply because you’re charming.”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me that. You should probably just admit you like me.” The beginnings of a smile twisted his lips before he doubled over and coughed.
“Can’t you… make a demonic wall, or something, so we can both escape? Demons can do that right?” I asked, brushing off his comment as I surveyed the short time it took the two demons to cross the water.
“I'm not sure who you fought in the battle for St. Peter’s Gate, but that’s not in my bag of tricks.”
“Well there must be something.”
Akmon took a moment to think. He eyed the river, of which Murk and Rob were hoisting themselves out of. He skimmed his gaze past the plateau after only a brief second because obviously death was a better option to him than Resvener. That annoyed me, but I kept my mouth shut. Finally, he settled on the sewer, stroking his chin thoughtfully. I didn’t need to be a prophet to see where his mind was headed.
“No thanks, I’m not going back in that feces hole ever again. I did my time and would rather run head-on into these two bozos than hide in there for a while, only to be sandwiched between them and zombies.” As I spoke, I took great care to load my pistol with energy bullets, and after scouting a small rise of the land for cover at the edge of the river, I began firing at our attackers.
The bullets hit dead center, but my power was only strong enough to singe their clothes, and maybe cause some external pain—probably no more than a pinch of the skin.
So, this is the cost of a wing, huh? I’d hate to think what would have happened if I’d used both of them on Akmon. Of course, I hadn’t been thinking about myself at the time. Akmon sprawled on the grass, spilling more blood than I ever cared to see come out of one body, had me using my own energy as a blowtorch to burn through soft feathers and the stubborn bone of my wing. It had taken a lot longer than I cared to remember. Toward the end, I’d been near delirious with pain. Only Nurse trying to make me heal Akmon faster kept me lucid.
Akmon followed slowly behind me and after a while replied, “As you pointed out, I'm not too keen on bloodshed, but it seems to be our only choice. Permit this ‘wimp’ to do what he can to even the odds in your general favor?”
“All right then, which one do you want?”
It was kind of depressing, watching how that single question seemed to undo him as his gaze went blank, and he stared from one demon in the river to the other. Predictably, a sweat broke out on his forehead.
It was becoming more obvious that Akmon psyched himself out before the rush of adrenaline could take over and get him to that mindless place that helped decide how badly a being wanted to live. I was willing to bet my other wing he’d never been in a real battle before the one against the angels.
Heaven’s mercy, maybe the war is why he’s like this.
That made me wonder how he would actually fair in a one-on-one. Surely he was trained. In Hell, rumor had it, every demon was required to go through some sort of combat drill to prove they could hold their own. If Akmon really was the snake who Lucifer trusted to tempt Eve, then he must have had to fight somebody at some point. Right? The question was on my tongue, but Rob was already across the water and setting a slow predatory jog toward us. My instincts kicked in. No time for talking anymore. I reloaded my pistol and took a few shots at Rob’s head, hoping that since he was closer, the bullets would do more damage.
Rob halted, cursing when one bit into the sensitive, pliable jelly of his bloodshot eye.
Much better. With any luck, he’ll lose his vision and be useless at close range.
Murk closed the gap between him and Rob quickly. My aim didn’t waver as I moved over to him and attempted a shot right in the middle of his face. He must’ve had proficient training because he used his axe to deflect the small, glowing white slug and sent it right back. I let the energy reabsorb, though it hurt like hell, and discharged another two misses before Murk was in foot-striking range.
We danced, round and round, sizing each other up. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Akmon moving to block Rob with his arms wide. When that had zero effect of stopping Rob, Akmon threw a desperate punch to his jaw. I noted with satisfaction that his stance was right and the jab landed squarely, but due to his injury, he had no power behind the connection.
White hot pain rippled through my skull as Murk shoved the bunt end of his axe into my nose, breaking it. My eyes watered as I stumbled back.
“Pretty angel should pay attention to her own fight,” he said, puffing his chest in triumph.
Wiping the blood from my nose, I bit back the urge to say something witty and insulting. I wanted to keep him talking, not just because he was right and not getting distracted from your opponent was Combat 101, but also if your enemy was babbling, he was usually wide open—also Combat 101.
Lunging for Murk’s legs, I connected his hairy, wide shins with my right shoulder. The move was made difficult from the imbalance of my missing wing, but it was a solid hit, and it sent him sprawling to the ground. Before he could bring up his putrid smelling axe, I shoved the end of my gun barrel to his left ear.
Maybe at this moment the prewar me would allow the demon a few last words, or offer a silent second of prayer before his real death, which was very different from his first as a human; however, I’d taken too many lives to be so softhearted. I pulled the trigger before he’d even registered that I had gained the upper hand. The sound of the bullet entering and exiting his skull was loud and wet, splattering the green grass crimson. The blood from my nose dripped onto his face, which quickly turned ashy gray.
“Murk!” The drawn-out, anguished cry was an unnatural double timber, like a cat walking unevenly across a pipe organ, or a train whistle blowing directly in my face. The very sound set my teeth on edge. My attention snapped up to meet Rob’s.
Fury burned in his eyes. Hatred for me was clear in the knit of his brows. Red-orange hellfire began exploding from Rob’s body, seeping out of his pores like molasses, and bursting from his mouth like a dragon guarding his gold. Flabbergasted, I hauled to a stand and found Akmon already making a hobbling retreat toward me as a wave of demonic energy raced after him. The heat from the flames burned my face as it cascaded straight for us like a flow of molten lava.
“I knew they were fucking.”
“Shut up, Akmon!” I said, looping an arm around him so that I could take most of his weight and help him flee the attack. Every step we took back, Rob took two forward, unaffected by his own energy pooling around him. We scaled quickly across the grass, with Akmon’s arm slung over my shoulder for support and to help him move faster. I knew we were headed toward a dead end, but there wasn’t much of a choice because if I stopped to find another route, the flames would encircle us immediately. Eventually we were back at the mouth of the sewer pipe. Rob was gaining on us.
Akmon’s eyes were like that of a caged animal, desperate and searching, but I knew there was no way out. The energy would flood straight through the pipe and reach us no matter how fast we scrabbled. The only thing we could do now was face it.
Resolutely, and more than a touch resigned, I took Akmon’s sweating palm in my own. That simple touch seemed to calm him, and he stopped searching and looked from my face to our joined hands. Then he sighed, hung his head, and lifted his fingertips to touch the black orb hanging off his ear.
“Vero... I have a portal.”
Shocked, and more than a bit furious, I yelled, “What? You’re just telling me this now?”
“Well, technically, I’m not supposed to use it.” His words came fast, like a child trying to explain away empty candy wrappers hidden in the floor vent. “It’s a one-way trip. They’ll be able to track us, so it will only afford us a few days, a week at most. Also—”
