Tim Marquitz - Armageddon Bound

As I watched over Veronica, her eyes fluttering behind their closed lids, I tried to catch my breath. The rush I’d felt earlier was wearing off fast, exhaustion welling up to take its place. Like a thick, gray cloud of smog, I felt it coming on, choking my senses. I sealed the vial and stuffed it out of sight between the pillow and mattress as I fought to keep my eyes open. The frantic voice ringing about inside my head helped.

“Are you there, Frank?”

Good old Rachelle. “I’m here.” I kept my voice low.

“What happened? Were you attacked?”

I nodded, then remembered she couldn’t see me.

“Yeah, we were. It seems Asmoday got the bulk rate on those Dread Fiends of his. We had four of them pop up. I managed to take out three, but one got away.” I glanced over at Veronica. She twitched gently, squirming on the bed with her eyes closed, her face flush with color. I could see her wounds knitting themselves together, the skin bubbling and inching closed. I felt the weight of my conscience lifting itself from my shoulders. I really didn’t want to be responsible for her death, my earlier testosterone-fueled anger a distant memory. I still cared too damn much.

“I’m glad you’re all right, but I’m afraid there’s more.”

Not surprised, I shook my head. “What now?”

“The Dread Fiends were nothing more than a distraction.”

“From what?” My heart started to pound. If the fiends weren’t the worst of it, I was hesitant to know Page 191 what was.

“While we were busy with Asmoday’s pets, he was performing yet another ritual to draw power from the Demonarch.”

I thought about that for a second, the words chilling, but yet they felt empty. There was something missing in the equation. “Well, we’re all still here. The world isn’t a flaming ball of smoking ash, so what happened?”

“I’m not exactly sure. With my focus drawn to the fiends, I failed to notice the dead zone that cropped up until the ritual was already complete.” Her voice drifted off, coming back strong. “There was something different about it this time though, Frank. The footprint seems much smaller than it did at the last two locations, the scarring less drastic. I don’t sense the same kind of damage to the dimensional wall, although there is some. It just doesn’t seem like the same level of event.”

“Another trap?”

“No. Katon has already surveyed the area. He found discarded ritual trappings there, yet nothing else.”

“Maybe this has something to do with when the ritual was performed.” I took a second to get my thoughts in order. My head was still pretty scrambled.

“We’d estimated Asmoday had been tapping the Demonarch’s energy every two days and it’s only been about one since the last time. Could that have anything to do with it?”

There was silence on the connection as Rachelle contemplated the possibility. They really needed to pipe in some music during the pauses. She chimed back up, sounding almost hopeful.

“That may well be it. The previous power outputs had been on such a grand scale that it’s possible Asmoday has been burning himself out each time he performs the ritual. It is quite tasking. That could explain the apparent reduction of this attempt.”“It would also explain why Asmoday needs Gabriel’s help, though it does nothing to explain why Gabriel needs his.” I felt the bed shift as Veronica sat up, her blue eyes staring at me from above a wide, grateful smile. I grinned back, waggling a finger to request patience. She gave me a pouty-faced look, but nodded. I continued, lowering my voice again and stepping away from the bed. “If he’s blowing all his power, we need to find him soon so we can take advantage of it. His greed is the only thing that’s keeping us in the game.”

“I agree. I’ll convey what we’ve deduced to Rahim. Once we’ve figured out the course to take, I’ll contact you.”

“I’ve my own lead to follow up on, so I’ll let you know if it pans out. Talk to you soon.”

Rachelle said her farewells, breaking the connection. Once more, it was just me and the multitude of my own questionably sane inner voices bouncing around inside my head. Trust me. They’re more than enough to keep me busy.

“Anything exciting?” Veronica asked, her voice still a little raspy.

Once again, I didn’t really want to give much away. Our history aside, you just can’t trust a succubus.

“Just work stuff, that’s all.” I looked her over, her shredded clothing leaving little to the imagination.

“Besides, the only exciting thing in my life these days is you.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Sure, buddy, whatever you say.” She got up from the bed and sauntered over to me. “I do want to thank you for saving my life though. Those fiends had me. Another minute and I’d have been dead.” She shivered, no doubt remembering them hovering over her, their claws tearing into her flesh.

I wrapped my arms around her arched back and pulled her close. “If you hadn’t dragged them away, neither of us would be here. You’re the hero on this one. I was just following your lead.”

She drew in closer, pressing her body against mine in a ferocious hug. “Sounds like we both deserve a reward.” She looked up at me and winked, her face all kinds of sultry.

I felt the seam of my torn jeans go tight as my mind ran amok with all the possibilities her statement conjured. She purred, rubbing against me, her hips gently swaying from side to side. I shuddered and pressed back against her, hard. She moaned low in her throat as she slid her warm hands beneath my shirt, her fingertips sliding under my waistband. Pulling me along, she backed up toward the bed unbuckling my belt as we went. At the bed, she yanked my belt from the loops and tossed it to the side, dropping down onto the mattress. In a feat of manual dexterity unheard of this side of Hell, she popped the button to my jeans and slid the zipper down in a fluid motion with one hand while she pulled me on top of her. I felt my gun slip from my waistband and heard it hit the floor. It didn’t matter. I had a backup weapon, which was ready to go off.

Frenetic, she buried her mouth in my neck, snarling as she nipped and kissed her way across my throat, leaving behind a moist trail that pricked at my skin. I couldn’t help but groan as her warm hand slid deeper into my pants, latching onto me, her grip tight and accommodating. I could feel the beat of my heart against her palm. Taking charge, she used her free hand to slide my pants down to my thighs before rolling me over onto my back. After giving me a grin, which would make a Cheshire cat jealous, she worked her way downward, strafing my chest and stomach with fluttering kisses. Her knees dropped to the floor as her hand continued its dastardly deed. I heard the clink of the vials as she bumped them, tugging my pants to my ankles with her free hand. I lifted my head to watch her ministrations, voyeur that I am. She had small hands. I was feeling pretty good about myself. Though I knew I should be doing something more productive like finding Glorius and saving the world, I couldn’t help myself. I was under her spell like I’d been so many times before. Unable, and more to the point, unwilling, to rein my libido in, I gave in to the yearning that made granite of my groin. I pushed all thoughts of Armageddon aside and let the pleasure wash over me.

My hands entangled themselves in Veronica’s silky hair, wordlessly cheering her on. I arched into her, testing her willingness. Finding no boundary, I was consumed by the storm of our passion. Through the haze of it all, my only coherent thought was, for a woman trained in the arts of Hell, she sure knew an awful lot about Heaven.

Coitus Interruptus

I lay back as Veronica went about pleasuring me, plying her trade. She was a pro. I’d forgotten how satisfying her touch could be. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her affection, if what she was doing could be given such a sentimental term. She put all the other women I’d slept with to shame. Not interested in opening old wounds, I told the voices in my head to shut the hell up about my feelings and encouraged Veronica to continue, my words coming out in grunts and groans. She obliged me by taking me to new heights, drawing me close, then pulling back, holding me on the edge. The bed shook beneath us as I clutched the sheets tight in my sweaty hands. I opened my eyes as her tongue flitted across sensitive areas and watched as the light fixture on the ceiling swung back and forth. Damn she was good.