The man might be an evil prick, but he has a body any woman would drool over, with hard muscles flexing under every inch of his flesh and a dick of jaw-dropping size. I should not want him to touch me. But every time he pulls me close, whether it's to growl at me or say crude things, I want to rip his clothes off and ride him until we're both slicked with sweat and we come so hard we can't speak afterward.
He doesn't always treat me like dirt. Maybe that's the real reason I agreed to let him fuck me—because I've seen his softer side too. Well, not softer. More like his less prickly and snarly side.
We've just passed a street corner, one I might've recognized if the world hadn't exploded. The street signs are gone, probably buried under a mountain of rubble. Dax has stopped us here, though I don't know why. When I start to ask, he holds up a hand in the universal gesture for "shut up." He tilts his head to the side.
Since he doesn't want me to speak, I mouth, "What?"
"We are not alone," he mouths back.
Then I hear it. Scrabbling sounds. Faint grunting. Whimpering.
Dax claims my hand, leading me toward the noises, which seems like a horrible idea to me. When I kick his shin to get his attention and mouth "no," he ignores me. The brute drags me down the side street, forcing me to climb over a mound of debris in the process, and we don't stop until we've come within view of whoever or whatever is making those noises.
A gang of four creatures has surrounded a young woman at the entrance to an alley. Two more creatures hang back, holding on to a young man who struggles against their grip. The girl keeps trying to get away from the four demons, but they've got her penned. She whimpers and keeps calling out to the young man, but he can't get free to help her.
I look at Dax just as he looks at me. When I open my mouth to suggest we should do something, he rolls his eyes and growls.
Then he whips out his knife and charges across the street.
Since I've gone crazy, I race after him and grab a battered length of pipe from the ground, wielding it like a baseball bat.
"Let her go," Dax commands. "Or you will regret it."
The creatures give up on harassing the girl and rotate their gazes to Dax and me. Every demon in the gang has scaly skin, though two have fangs, one has long talons on its fingers, and the fourth sports spikes on its back. The two holding on to the young man boast spikes on their heads.
"What's this?" one creature says. "Snow White and the Wolfman came out to play. She's juicier meat than this scrawny little thing." The beast nods toward the young woman. "We'll have her for dessert. Snow White looks like an entrée for sure."
Dax widens his stance, brandishing the knife. "Last chance. Run away or die."
"We ain't running. This is our territory."
"Not anymore." Dax glances at me sideways and whispers out of the corner of his mouth, "Get the girl."
Then he charges at the creatures, roaring and slashing his knife in such quick strokes that I can't see what he's doing. I run to the girl, but now it's the young man who needs help. Dax is keeping the other creatures busy, so I summon all the fury and fear I've held in since this morning and unleash it on the two creatures who hold the man. I slam the pipe into the side of one beast's head, and it staggers sideways, releasing the man's arm. Now held by only one creature, he slugs the monster in the gut. That knocks the beast off balance. The man mutters "thank you" as he rushes past me to grab the girl.
They disappear into the night.
I don't blame them for running without trying to help me or Dax. He doesn't need help. And I know he won't let anything happen to me, at least until we find Sefton. When I turn around, I see Dax encircled by four dead creatures. His clothes, hands, and face are spattered with blood.
He goes perfectly still, his gaze riveted to something behind me. "Don't move."
Then he bolts past me.
I spin around just in time to see him gut the other two creatures. A strange thrill shivers through me, and my nipples go hard. I don't enjoy violence. But there is something darkly erotic about watching Dax neutralize those monsters.
Dax brushes past me. "Let's go."
He pauses to let me catch up. Well, that's new.
As we trek down the street, we see figures lurking in the shadows here and there, but we don't stop to investigate. Nothing good ever lurks in darkness. We pass by a broken fire hydrant that's spurting its contents five feet into the air, and Dax stops to rinse off the blood from his fight with those creatures.
He grasps my hand as we continue on our journey.
I suppress my shock as much as I can. He wants to hold my hand? Maybe he worries I'll run away. He can't feel protective of me.
Four creatures jump out of an alley to block our path.
Jeez, won't these demons ever give up? Though the preternatural darkness has gotten darker, a strange yellowish glow emanates from the hole in the sky.