"I always told myself to be careful. As crazy as I was, I wasn't that fucked up in the head. I didn't go around making friends with gang members or any of that. I knew my partying had to end at some point, just didn't expect it to be so quick."
"I'm assuming you got out."
"Barely. Fuckers trained their guns on me, and I sped the fuck out of there. About five miles out I found myself in the middle of the desert."
"Damn."
"I remember losing control of the car and running it into a ditch. I flew out of that car and into the desert. I'm not sure how long I ran, but I saw the lights in the distance."
"It has a way of luring you in, doesn't it?"
He nodded, taking another long swig of the beer.
"It does. But nothing is as alluring as my Imogen. She was so very beautiful, and I don't know if it was her power or her soul that spoke to mine, but I willingly got on that stage for her.
"Why? Why give up your life?"
He smiled. "Those men had followed me. They had spotted me and were ready to shoot when Imogen asked me if I was ready to die for her."
“So you choose to die in her hands?”
He nodded. “All I saw were her eyes as she dug the dagger in my heart. It was the sweetest death, and the most amazing rebirth in her hands. I’ve been at her mercy ever since then."
"And those men?"
He smirked, finishing off his beer. "They disappeared. I heard later; the demon had drained them dry."
"Fuck."
"Exactly."
“Are you afraid of it?”
He sat up, closing the space between us. “I’ve already seen death,” his eyes lingered on my lips for a long moment and something inside of me stirred.
I ran my tongue over my lips, wanting to taste his kiss. He smiled knowingly. “The taste of wanting to die, night after night, does something to your soul.”
He pressed his hand over my chest, and I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath.
“It makes you see things differently. Life is different. You cherish it, but yet you don’t fear the deep sleep the other side offers. You also see humans different.”
“And what do you see in me?” I whispered as his lips hovered over mine.
“Eagerness.”
My eyes opened and I stared back at him. “For what?”
“For the unknown.” His mouth swept over mine briefly, but before I could intensify the kiss he stood up.
“Let’s complete the task. Our Imogen waits for us.”
I finished off my beer and continued to work alongside him. I liked Rodrigo. He was loyal to our Imogen and all I could feel was gratefulness toward him, and a powerful attraction that only ones with our connection could understand.
We were bound together by our necromancer, and we both felt the pleasure of our connection deeply.
Rodrigo had been her first and we all held this unwavering respect for him, yet at the same time there was this collective her urge to make him our pet, and it coursed through Imogen into us. Maybe one day, I’ll make him beg for it like the good puppy he was.
Chapter10