Part 3 (2/2)

”Cool.” I said as I watched doors open. Two faceless creatures stepped out in black suits with a girl by each arm. She looked as if she had been crying really hard but when she pa.s.sed me I could see that her eyes were filled with b.l.o.o.d.y tears. I tried to ignore that too as Gunner stepped into the elevator and then I followed him. We turned as the girl tried to fight them and they drug her along as she moaned.

”What was that?” I asked him and he crossed his arms on his chest.

”That was a rogue.”

I looked at him and then upward at the mirrored ceiling. His shoulders looked strong; in fact he just looked like a bada.s.s, like a man who could truly handle anything thrown at him.

”A demon?”

”Yes, sometimes they escape and then try to be ”good”, it never works out well.”

”How is that possible? I mean a demon is evil.”

”Don't be so fast to judge, just because they came to h.e.l.l and became a demon does not mean they are all evil, they just failed the trial to become a h.e.l.lhound.”

”Well that sucks.”

He looked at me as I looked upward, I realized he was starring and I looked at him.

”So, how good was I then?”

I looked down and bit into my lip as he had been so clever to hop back on the s.e.x subject with me.

”You rocked.” I said as I looked at him and suddenly shed my nerves. I mean at this point I need to start acting like I can hold my own. I am a h.e.l.lhound, I will be hunting demons and if I cannot handle a bit of Gunner and his jokes then what good will I be? The answer would be none at all. He then turned to me and looked me over as I raised an eyebrow. He stepped forward and I stepped back, we played this out until I was against the mirrored wall of the elevator and he was about 2 inches in front of me. I felt the cold mirror to my back and the even colder sword in my hand. He reached down and wrapped his fingers over mine on the hilt of the sword and brought it up so that the metal was between us. I looked past the cold steel and saw the reflection of the blade in his eyes. His eyes, deep and brooding and I could not imagine everything he had seen. The idea of him being a Roman, and the Roman that he actually was, that of Brutus. I tried my best to keep my heartbeat at a regular rhythm but his skin against mine was engulfing my thoughts and the fact that he was so close to me.

”This is a powerful weapon.”

”I hate it.” I said as he looked past the sword and into my eyes.

”Why?”

”Because, it was his.”

”Oh Lucifer, I get it. I do. I mean you should despise him.”

”I do hate him, he is pure evil.” I said as my muscles tensed up in my jaw.

”He has never offered a weapon to anyone else, but to my sister. He must favor you as he did her.”

”Great.”

”Be grateful that he does not hate you.”

I stared at him as he remained to close, but I would never tell him to move away from me. In fact the longer her stood there the worse my ability to ignore his beautiful lips became.

”I...” I started to say as the sword started to lower. His hand relaxing and yet he remained close to me.

”What Halo?” he asked and I started to speak as he leaned in and let his lips touch mine. I left my eyes open, which was just awkward as h.e.l.l. He parted my lips with his tongue, his kiss was soft and sweet and he raised a hand and cupped my face as I closed my eyes and melted into him. How I could feel this way for him so quickly was beyond me, but the feeling was real. I mean, perhaps it was the memory of seeing him holding me, the look on his face and how he seemed to become my protector in the moment of my death. His strength consumed me as did my feeling of security when he was near me. The dream of having him did not help, not one bit. I lowered the sword and he leaned up, pressing against me, but only slightly. It was as if he wanted to take his time or perhaps tease me. I could not be certain. Then the elevator stopped and the doors started to open as he quickly backed away and looked at me, his facial expression telling me that he was just as confused as I was as to why he did it to begin with.

”Gunner.” I said as he stepped from the elevator and into the house, the one we would call home on the surface of the earth. I watched him walk away from me and I touched my lips, as his bittersweet kiss lingered on.

Ari and Finna both stared me down as I adjusted the vinyl dress I had on. The straps across the front of it led down the front of me and I had nothing on but my panties beneath it. There was no need for a bra and the straps let a bit of skin show through. My fishnet was torn slightly on one leg, I had ripped them while putting them on but I did not care. My black combat style boots were laced up tight. I sighed and looked up at the two of them.

”How will you fight in that ridiculous s.h.i.+t?” Finna asked as she stared me down. Ari said nothing as his eyes lingered and she smacked him and he nodded, crossing his arms on his chest.

”Can you move okay?” he asked me, like it was a serious inquiry. I knew as much as Finna did that he was just eyeballing my goodies. Then I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Dorin coming from the shadows. He looked yummy as he had before.

”Interesting outfit.” He said to me as he eyed me, walking past me. He stopped and turned to look me over.

”Is this what you will be fighting in?”

”Yes.” Gunner said as he walked into the room and looked at everyone. ”She will be fine. This is what she felt most comfortable with and so it is what she will be wearing.”

”I remember when we just fought in what we died in.” Finna said as she half laughed.

Gunner looked at her. ”Things change, Lucifer changes the game as often as he wishes to. I don't control it.”

”I never said that you did.” She said as they watched him walk to the wall and he pulled two axes. He came back and tossed one to me and I caught it a lot easier than I thought that I would. It felt as if it weighed nothing and yet I knew that it had weight to it.

”Perhaps she should start with a lighter...” Dorin started to say and Gunner held his hand up to him.

”There is no reason that she should not be able to battle with whatever I give to her. She is branded.”

”I know but...”

”Dorin.” Gunner said as he turned and stared at him. His expression was hard. Finna shook her head and Ari laughed.

”Fine.” He said as he stepped up and held his hand out to him.

”What?” Gunner said as he held the ax.

”Give it to me Gunner, you are the hardest opponent in the house, she should at least have a chance her first time around.”

”She needs to...”

Dorin took the ax from him and for a minute they both stood there like a fight may happen. I held the ax and watched closely, not knowing what would be happening next. Gunner then stepped back and waved a hand as Dorin nodded to him. He turned to me and smiled as I saw his teeth, two pointed ones and it was then that I realized that he was in fact a vampire. s.h.i.+t.

He leaped into the air and twisted above me as I swung my ax upwards over my head. The fact that I did kind of shocked me. I mean I had never had a weapon in my hand before the knife I shoved into Travis's face. I was not a fighter by nature, but as Dorin landed behind me and I spun on one foot, my long red hair swinging out to my side and the ax following with a serious swing, I started to think that maybe I was a warrior. Maybe something had laid dormant in me forever and this was why I was able to take that knife to Travis when I knew it was him or me. Of course I did not know at the time that I was f.u.c.king dying, but whatever. I killed him just the same. Dorin then laughed as he darted to the right and my eyes were able to follow him, I adjusted my footing as he darted to the left and then he was on me and swinging the ax like a maniac as I bent back and arched my back. My head almost touched the ground as I saw Gunner watching me, which was a f.u.c.king distraction. I came up just as Dorin reared back and hit me in the nose with the b.u.t.t of the ax and I stumbled backwards, reaching up to touch my nose. I pulled my hand back to see blood but it was not red, not at all. It was now black and the sight of it bothered me, giving Dorin another chance to strike at me but as he leaped above me, I brought my ax up and held it in both hands and stopped his ax just a fraction of an inch from my eye. I stared at it as he grinned and showed off his vampire teeth. I shook my head and then pushed him back from me as I yelled out.

”I never liked vampire movies; they never got it right once the f.u.c.king teenagers got involved.”

Gunner laughed as did Ari and Finna as I spun around and swung my ax as hard as I could. It came within a sheer fraction of an inch from cutting his throat, as he leaned back from me. I then kicked him in the stomach and he flew across the room and hit the wall, quickly sliding down as he laughed out loud.

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