Wildfire Gospel (Habitat) (17 page)

“You speak the truth.” He lapped at my wound. “I can taste your honesty in your blood. You’re a good person.”

“Did you have to bite me?”

“I needed to see for myself and have your scent inside of me to track you. Plus … ever since you touched yourself on the ground I’ve been wanting to sample this hot blood.”

I rubbed my hand on my dress’s material. “Don’t bite me again without my permission. I don’t know how it’s done in Shinto, but you do that in Santeria and that’s an ass whipping. In addition, remember my man. He’s not the most patient person when it comes to someone else’s scent on me and he has terrible anger management skills.”

I left out the heart ripper part.
No need to scare him any further.
We headed back at a rushed pace past the houses, still running Vamp children, and herds of odd horses that grazed on the long, black grass.

“I’ll need you to tell me where the portals are or at least help me get too one.”

“I’ll help you escape. Get into my arms and act like you’re passed out.” He held his arms out in front of me. I climbed up onto them and pressed against his muscular chest. “I’ll let Sakura know that I’m carrying you over there and we didn’t have time to get you to the portal. Once we’re in the Bottelli compound we’ll have to run fast to get you out of there. I’m not sure who is guarding and what Dante has told them.”

The door to where Sakura stood on the other side appeared.

“We can’t just go straight to the Bottelli compound. I have to get my boyfriend. He’s at the feeding.”

Keo’s body stiffened. “We’ll have to get him another time.”

“If my man doesn’t leave with me, then I won’t.”

He paused. “I won’t be able to get you out of there if we go to the Feeding. I’ll have to give you a map instead. Hang onto me so I can get it out of my pocket. I had it earlier for when I was supposed to get you.” He dug into this pocket as I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on. When he was done, he handed it to me. “Here. Put this somewhere.”

I tucked it between my cleavage. He formed his lips into a smile. “Good place. When we get to the Feeding, grab your boyfriend, and head back the way you came to the Bottelli compound. Do you remember?”

“Yeah. His door is next to that big statue with the huge erection.”

“Exactly.”

“Once you get in, there will be his lounge area. The map shows you five different portals to escape through. Hopefully, there aren’t any of Bottelli’s men in there. The whole family should be at the Feeding, but he’s had some rough times these past days with everything going on in Santeria. He may be on guard.”

“Well, if there is anybody in there while Zulu and I are trying to find the portals, may the gods they pray to welcome their souls.”

Lanore

Persuading Sakura that I was exhausted from drinking in the fire beast wasn’t a problem at all. Keo was very convincing. Too convincing. If he could lie without difficulty to her, then he could deceive me just as easily. I didn’t think I could trust anybody down in this pit of Vampires and slaves, not Dante, Sakura, or even Keo. It was time to get out of here and return to Santeria. At least I knew who the oppressors were when I walked under that barred ceiling. At least I could point to my friends and enemies.

The effects of demon fire were finally kicking in. My skin prickled with energy. My teeth clattered against themselves. Every little brush of air or touch by Keo caused me to shiver in pleasure. A blue light glazed over my view. I no longer saw the world clearly. Instead, I saw the space around me in a blue hue just like if I had put on blue sunglasses. The glow wouldn’t leave until all of the fire left my body. With the amount I took, it would probably take weeks to get out of my system. The hunger to use the flames would come next. I remembered the ache of wanting to burn things when I drank it in before. A hint of that yearning sparked near my core.

Nevertheless, Keo carried me away. I lay in his arms like I was asleep. Every now and then, he sniffed near my face and inhaled my fragrance. Being with MeShack’s ignorant behind got me used to the oddness of people smelling me, but still Keo’s breathing my natural fragrance in put me on edge.

With my eyes closed, I focused on the sounds around me. Flutes played. A ghostlike voice rode the notes. It couldn’t have been a recording. It sounded live and near.

“We’re close to the Feeding. You can open your eyes now,” Keo said.

“Good.”

“Do you want me to put you down?”

“Yes.” I got on the ground and looked around. We were in the far back. Those huge chairs where the sisters sat were many feet in front of us, and things had definitely changed since I left.

Oh God this is disgusting.

I gripped my stomach and tried to keep the few contents in me down. The Sisters still sat in their chairs, but no longer by themselves. Each one had a grown and naked Vampire cradled in their laps and suckling from their engorged breasts. Right in the center of all the sisters, a nude Dante lay in a sister’s lap. His muscular body gleamed in the light. Every inch of him held definition and strength. His jaws worked as he sucked from the Sister’s nipple. Gray liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth and leaked down his chin.

“If this isn’t evil, then what is it?” Keo asked.

“I don’t know about evil, but it sure is vomit-worthy.”

The hundreds of tiny faces in the sister’s skin lapped their small tongues at Dante’s flesh. The whole time the sister stroked the tip of Dante’s engorged penis. It bulged thick at the tip with a purplish tint. My stomach churned with disgust as he wiggled his hips and lazily thrust into the horrid creature’s closed fingers. The sister moved her hand up and down on his length and he groaned against her nipple.

I got to get out of here.

Unlike me, the audience wasn’t disgusted by the scene. They were aroused. All around me nude Vamps had sex on the ground. Here I thought it would be difficult to escape without being noticed, not even knowing that a freaking blood orgy would be there to greet my eyes. They writhed and rubbed their sweaty bodies on top of each other, licked with their tongues and pierced with their fangs. I moved closer through a small path between the gyrating bodies, hoping that I could find Zulu in the sea of debauchery and that he wasn’t participating. I would’ve hated to burn him when things had been going so well between us.

If MeShack was here, he’d be naked and under five Vamps by now
.

A ping of sadness bit at my heart, but I moved on and pushed thoughts of him to the back of my mind. There was no time to mourn anyone. Later when I made sure Ben was safe, that’s when I would close my arms around him and cry.

Stepping over entwined limbs and moaning faces, I scanned the space and did my best to not look up at Dante’s gross actions. I slipped a little on a puddle of something, but didn’t fall. Keo hooked his arm around my elbow and led the way. I didn’t want to know what that puddle was, but it reeked of waste. My eyes watered. A bad taste coated my mouth. I swallowed and thought through the disgust.

“How long will this sex fest go on?” I asked.

“Until sunset, then most will just fall asleep here and stay through the night and even the next day.” He tightened his hold. “This may be the best time for you to escape. Dante will be puffed up on the sister’s milk. It takes time to move and walk again after they drink those creatures’ milk.”

“Do you have any idea what the milk does for them?”

“It makes them stronger for sure. Beyond that, I’m not sure. I don’t think the Vampires’ bodies can digest the milk like blood. Most of the ones that drink get fat and never go back down. It usually takes a good three to five days for them to even walk. Some have weird effects on their skin. Sores appear, but I’ve only seen that once.”

“Dante fat and covered in sores? One can only dream.”

“Sakura’s worried about the possibility of Dante’s new power. Most of the families are nervous. He already has a lot of influence among the other families. With the milk, he’ll have extra strength, power, and be harder to kill.”

I’m sure Zulu and I can figure out a way to solve the kill part.

Keo nodded. “This is the best time for you to leave.”

“Good.” Looking ahead, I’d kept walking forward but for some reason Keo stopped, forcing me to be pulled back as he held my hand.

“Lanore?” The voice belonged to Zulu.

I turned to see the tip of Zulu’s claws near the right side of Keo’s cheek and his arm around Keo’s neck. “Who’s this?”

“Keo.” I unhooked my arm. “He’s a friend.”

“Whose friend?” Zulu’s expression hardened.

“Ours.” I put space between Keo.

Zulu retracted his claws. “And why is he our friend?”

I got between Zulu and Keo. “We have to leave now while Dante is busy. I’ve found out a lot of stuff and I’m too nervous about being down here anymore. Keo has a map of the Bottelli compound and it shows where the portals go.”

Zulu’s arms glowed. “And how do we know the map or him can be trusted?”

“We don’t.”

“If I wanted to hurt her, I already would have,” Keo said.

I shook my head. “That’s not really going to be a good point with Zulu. I think you should just let me handle this.”

“We don’t need his map or him,” Zulu said. “I think I can get us back to where I came in.”

“Okay, good, but we have his map and help just in case.” I checked the area where Dante continued to sop up gray milk. “Regardless, we don’t really have time to go back and forth on this. Let’s just go.”

Zulu looked at Keo for another second. “What will we do about Angel?”

I watched two women riding a guy’s face and waist. “You haven’t seen her?”

“No.” He glanced at Keo. “How long is this guy going to follow us?”

“I was going to make sure you both got to the compound.” Keo adjusted his sunglasses and sniffed at him. “What are you?”

Zulu’s eyes lit up as he gazed at Keo’s chest probably searching for what Keo’s beast looked like. “I’m not a Dragonshifter like you.”

Keo’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know that?”

Zulu told me long ago that he could see a Shifter’s beast inside of their chest. He’d described them as see through beings as transparent as water, but still holding their own specific shape. In a fight, Zulu could grab the beast and yank it out of the Shifter, giving himself a few seconds of extra time being that the a Shifter was incapacitated without his beast. However, Zulu couldn’t keep the animal out for long, eventually it jumped back into the body.

“How do you know I have the ability to shift into a Dragon?” Keo sneered.

“Don’t touch my lady again unless she’s dying and there’s no way but your hands to save her.”

“I was guiding her through—”

“Don’t.” Zulu pushed his fangs out.

I had to step in. With us being underground and near so many Vamps, Zulu had to be on edge. Not that he liked a man touching me at any time. I cleared my throat. “So Keo, thanks for the map. We’ll have to meet soon in the future, but as you can see I have to get out of here and my boyfriend isn’t big on strangers.”

“Are you sure you can make it back to the Bottelli compound?”

“Yes.” I tapped the map in my pocket. “The map and Zulu should be able to do the rest.”

“We’ll meet again.” A wrinkle appeared at the center of Keo’s forehead, but instead of saying anything else he bowed. “I’ll make sure Sakura understands how valuable you are and that you won’t be working with the Bottelli family anymore. We’ll have another family from the Santeria Habitat approach you above ground. It’ll be a message from me or her.”

Rage traveled through my cords. Zulu’s rage. Thankfully, he remained where he was.

“How will I know that the message is from you and if I can trust the new family?” I asked.

“They’re Vampires. You can’t trust them, but if the messenger is working with the family then you’ll see a cherry blossom on the bottom of that person’s sleeve. I’ll make sure the individual is wearing it before they go into Santeria to approach you.” Keo turned around.

“Sounds good.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you. I can’t wait to see what our alliance will do for my people as well as yours.” Keo bowed once again and walked away.

“We’re aligning ourselves with more Vampires?” Zulu snarled.

“Actually, stunted Dragonshifters, but that’s a long story, one that can wait until we’re above ground and away from blood suckers.” I grabbed his hand and rushed off.

“Stunted Dragonshifters? I figured something was wrong with his beast. Why are we aligning with them?”

“They need our help.”

“To do what?”

“Get free from the Vamps I think.”

“You think?”

“FYI, I don’t know what in Shango’s name I’m doing. I’m pretty much winging it. All I can tell you is that no one is to be trusted down here but you and Angel.”

“Speaking of Angel, I don’t understand why she hasn’t returned. I let the Prime fly around with the Sisters. They got bored after they realized they couldn’t catch him, returned to their seats, and started the feeding. Still I didn’t see her around.”

Where are you Angel?

I increased my steps. The whole area seemed darker around us as moans and that weird music filled the air. Moving bodies lay on each of our sides as we tried to get as far from the feeding as possible.

Zulu glanced over his shoulder. “Four Vamps are following us. Two of them have been watching me all night. Wherever I go, they go, but both pairs keep a decent distance between them and me.”

“I guess that makes sense. Dante would’ve been stupid to let us walk around without being watched while he drinks away in orgyville.”

“Yes. Too bad he didn’t figure on us killing the people he ordered to watch us.”

“Oh, yes. That was a fuck up on his part.” I tossed Zulu a wicked smile.

My bluish view brightened. Anticipation rushed through my skin as if I’d stuck a wet finger into an electric socket and been shocked. I was ready to unleash my demon fire on someone. I licked my lips and struggled with not getting too excited. Dad warned me about it and said the kill from demon fire was the most addictive thing he’d ever experienced. Being that my dad enjoyed taking creature’s lives for their skin, his warning was saying a lot. I’d never murdered anyone with demon fire, but I couldn’t deny that as I checked the four Vampires casually strolling behind us, I yearned to set them on fire and watch their flesh melt away from their bones. I tensed a little at that thought but calmed myself with the realization it was the demon fire motivating me toward murder and not myself.

Don’t worry. You’ll get your chance to burn.

In no time we left the orgy fest. The sound of music and moaning disappeared the further we walked out. Zulu and my footsteps made no sound on the pebbled road. We still didn’t wear any shoes, but the Vamps behind us did. Their steps click clacked in the silence. Ahead of us the same dark area came into view, except now with the demon fire within my veins, everything appeared with a glow. We still had another corner to turn before we approached the statue of the huge, naked Vampire god and the Bottelli compound entrance. Zulu seized my hand and squeezed it a little.

“Once we round the corner,” he whispered. “If no one is near, we kill these Vampires following us. It would be better to do it now, then wait until we get to Dante’s compound.”

“That sounds good, but I’m going to need you to get out of my way.”

“Funny.”

I winked. “I’m half serious. I’m packing something pretty strong. I don’t want you to get burned.”

“I doubt you’ll be able to set one on fire before I’m done destroying everyone. I’m faster now.”

“I noticed earlier when you were trying to kill Angel and me. You’ve been holding back on how fast you are.”

“No.” He rubbed his thumb against the inner area of my wrist. “My body has been changing ever since I finished the bond with you. I think our powers are merging together and enhancing on a level neither one of us has probably ever seen before. Have you noticed anything different with your own power?”