Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
A ghoul extended it gnarled, boney arm and pointed at both Rose and Devlin and said with harsh, grating voice, “Fresh…flesh…”
Concern streaked across Rose’s face as she unsheathed her katana. There were too many of them and now both she and the vampire were in danger of being eaten. She wasn’t sure how Devlin was fairing but Rose was already feeling wore down from their previous battle with Todd and his ghoulish army. With grim determination, Rose cried out as she swung her sword. She hacked away at heads and any hands that tried grasping at her.
Devlin glanced at her and with his fangs out and sword at the ready, he sprang into action by using his supernatural speed and teleporting skills…but nothing happened. Devlin kicked on of the nearest ghouls away and tried to teleport again and still nothing happened. Devlin had a bad feeling that they weren’t going to make it out of this alive. The ghouls may not know how to kill me, he thought, but if they harm or kill Rose I will die from a broken heart. He wanted to test if all his supernatural abilities were neutered by this place so he ran at the ghouls while hacking away. His speed and agility worked fine as Devlin roared with delight that he had a chance to fend of the ghoul onslaught.
“Do you see a way out of here yet?” Rose called out as she struck down another ghoul.
“I do see a door,” Devlin replied grimly, “but we will need to hack our way to it.”
“Can you teleport us to it or is there too many of these dead dicks protecting it?”
“I’m afraid that my teleporting has been disabled by this place, Rose. I will do my best to clear a path but I fear that the ghouls swarm over you. Can you do any magic?”
“I don’t know but I doubt it since you can’t teleport.” Rose grunted as she cut off another ghoul’s head and kicked its body down to make several other ghouls trip and stumble. “I don’t have the juice to take out the ghouls with my magic or I’d be doing it right now.”
“Maybe try something simple, like a circle shield. It wouldn’t take much effort on your part and if it doesn’t work, then my plan won’t work.”
“What plan?”
Devlin howled in pain as a ghoul bit down on his arm. He glared at it like it was zit on prom night and hacked away on its neck. After several blows, its head fell to the floor with a thud. He grimaced in pain as he slid next to Rose’s back and said, “If you can bubble yourself, I could weld your katana and make a bigger dent.”
“I’m not sure that it will work -”
“The fucking angelic magic may have stopped my teleporting but not my speed! You are a sorceress that has a direct connection with Mother Nature herself and that includes the Earth itself.” Devlin bit out as he swung his sword in a wide arching motion, loping off three heads at once, “Draw on her energies Rose! Hell, look at what we are standing on! You can use this gold to our advantage and make it a conduit for your power!”
Rose glanced down and saw that the floor was made of gold. She had forgotten all about it when they entered this huge room and had to start fighting for their lives. How did Devlin know so much about magic and spell casting? Maybe he knew a few witches at some point, Devlin has been around for centuries so it would make sense that his path would have crossed with a few magic users. She allowed herself to ground into the Earth and she could feel the natural energy flowing into her, it healed and caressed her entire body as well as reenergized her, which gave Rose hope.
Rose’s long raven hair floated in the air as the room became charged with her magic. Devlin glanced over his shoulder with a wicked grin and said, “That’s it girl! Now hand me your katana and bubble yourself while I deal with these assess.”
Rose had another plan in mind as she focused the energy into a protective bubble that was a good twenty feet in diameter. There were ghouls that got trapped in the protective circle with them, but Devlin dispatched them easily enough. The ghouls on the outside of the protective bubble could only touch it. Many of them banged on it while others examined it closely, looking for a weak spot or a way in. As Devlin calmly walked up to Rose, he extended his hand and said, “Okay, hand me your sword and let me out of the bubble so I can take care of this mess.” Rose looked at Devlin and the gaze she gave him made the vampire step back and lower his hand. Her eyes were arresting and glowing with the magic that she was welding. Devlin groaned as his arousal got piqued, Rose was beyond beautiful and when she was in her element like this. She was both breathtaking as well as deadly too.
“I want to try something, it may or may not work but I’ll be damned if I’m letting you fight this battle alone! I’m not a fucking porcelain doll and I sure as shit NOT a fucking Bella Swan!” Rose snarled.
“Please don’t misjudge my reason.” Devlin raised his hands up submissively, “I’m super-fast and with duel swords they wouldn’t stand a chance so don’t think that I see you as weak or incapable of fighting, Rose. If you couldn’t do this, I would’ve gladly let them eat and tear me apart if it meant you could escape unharmed.”
Rose’s lips parted as the anger in her face ebbed as she felt her heart swell with happiness and…love? She wasn’t sure at the moment but for once Rose was being seen as an equal in someone else’s eyes and it endured her to Devlin even more. Devlin flashed a wicked grin at her and it made her heart race as he said, “What are you waiting for, sweetheart. Deal with these dicks so we can find Duncan. I’m curious as to what you got planned.”
Rose blushed slightly as she took in several deep breaths, closed her eyes, and focused on her protective bubble. It lowered slowly and Rose said as she sat down, “Have a seat and watch the show.” Devlin obeyed as he came over and sat down next to her. The warmth that he put off made Rose saddle up against the vampire as she let out a soft sigh. Once the protective bubble was about five feet off the ground, Rose shifted it into a square box shape. The ghouls groped and tried to grab onto the edges to climb up on top of it but the edges jutted out like a knife and all Devlin could see were decaying fingers falling all around them. Rose gathered up more of the Earth’s energy to feed into her protective bubble and it expanded outward, shoving all the ghouls back against the walls.
Rose imagined her protective bubble having the force of a massive mudslide as she projected her will into it. The ghouls could do nothing but stand helplessly pinned against the golden walls and watch their bodies get crushed and their heads popping off like pimples. Then Rose made the protective bubble slowly turn all around the room like a carousel of gore and black ichor. All the ghouls that weren’t pinned in a standing position had their heads ripped off from the movement, almost like scrapping dog shit off one’s shoe. Devlin cringed at the site but had to give Rose credit for her creative use of her protective bubble.
“Remind me NOT to piss you off Rose. I don’t think I would enjoy being on the receiving end of your fury.”
Rose opened her eyes and playfully batted them at the vampire, “I’m sure you could withstand me and even…” she reach out and gently squeezed Devlin’s growing member, “over-power me if you had too.”
Devlin groaned - “Rose as much as I’d enjoy peeling all your clothes out and make your body respond to the slightest touch from me, we are in hostile territory and Duncan’s life is in the balance.”
Rose startled herself as she realized what she was doing with Devlin. She let the protective bubble recede back into the Earth slowly as she ungrounded her body. The walls of the room were now a mixture of gold and a sickly black slurry. A few ghouls had survived but were in no condition to rise up and cause them any trouble. Even so, Devlin stood up and held out a waiting hand to aid Rose to her feet and they walked around the room beheading the survivors. Rose kept glancing at Devlin, watching from a far and admiring his physique. The man may be old but he did have a nice ass, Rose thought as she involuntarily snorted out loud.
“Did you say something, my dear?” Devlin asked as he bent over cut another head off.
“Nope!” Rose bit out, “Must have been this ghoul moaning over here.”
Devlin sniffed as he chuckled, “Yeah, I’m sure that’s the case Rose.”
“And what is THAT supposed to mean, tick boy?”
“It’s means that if we were not here, you would be the one moaning. I can smell you all the way over here.”
Rose crinkled her nose - “Eww, how can you smell anything in this room! It smells like a sewer that vomited up rotten butcher meat and ass!”
Devlin was behind her before she realized it. He wrapped his strong arms around Rose’s chest gently as he whispered in her ear, “I could find you by that scent of yours no matter where you hid because no foul odor could cover up something as sweet and intoxicating as your nectar.” Rose shuttered against the vampire and replied in a throaty voice, “I bet you say that to all the girl.”
“No…”Devlin hesitated as he took a deep breath and added, “Just the one I love.”
Rose froze. She felt shocked and stunned by Devlin’s words that she wasn’t how to respond. She bit her bottom lip as her eyes darted around the room. What am I supposed to say or do? He said it, does that mean I need to say it too? Rose’s mind was a bubbling mess of emotions that had nowhere to go because she was in uncharted waters. The last time she told someone that she loved them was her father, on his death bed. Rose had many men in her life but most of her relationships tended to superficial and never any substance that went beyond sex.
Rose struggled at saying a single word because she wasn’t sure if she felt the same love for Devlin like he did for her. What the hell? We are here for Duncan’s ass and tick boy pulls the “L” word on me? She wasn’t sure if she should be irritated or flattered by Devlin’s admission. Sadness retched into her heart at the thought of spending the rest of her life with the vampire. The operant word being “her”, since Devlin would never age and outlive her. Would he be heartbroken or was my being in his life a way to past the many years away without being lonely. Immortality must suck but why saddle yourself with a person who would only be here one minute and gone forever?
Devlin turned Rose around to face him. He put his forehead against hers as he cupped her head in his rough hands and said, “Don’t overthink things, beautiful. Just go with your heart and it will guide you to where you need to go.”
“M-my heart is urging me towards- to help Duncan.” Rose whispered so softly that she wondered if Devlin hear it, “I-I can’t be having this conversation. Not here, not now.”
“I understand sweetheart,” Devlin reassured her as he gently massaged her head, “but I’d rather get it out in the open and say how I feel about you in case…”
“In case we don’t make it out of here alive?”
“Yes.” He murmured as he pressed his lips softly on Rose’s forehead, “I hate sounding so gloom but it’s a reality we need to face, but at least we can do it together.”
“I like the sound of that.” She smiled up at the vampire.
“I’d be honored to fight and die by your side, Rose Macready. I vow to keep you alive for as long as I can and - OOPH” With a jab in Devlin’s ribs with the hilt of her sword, Rose backed up slightly and cocked an eyebrow at him.
“I told you, I’m no Bella Swan. I can handle myself so stop trying to shield me from every terrible thing that gets thrown at us. I don’t want to have a relationship with someone who sees me as a damsel in distress.”
Devlin chuckled – “I know this, but you need to give me some leeway here. I’m older than you realize and old habits die hard as well as old ways of how this world works.”
“Well prepare for a crash course in modern women etiquette: post-apocalyptic edition.” Rose spouted off as she walked towards the door, “Lesson one: Women are NOT fragile nor are we helpless or weak!”
Devlin trailed behind her and replied, “Yes dear.”
“Lesson two: Women have to be strong and know how to take care of themselves because no one else will and if they don’t, they die. It’s that simple.”
“Yes dear.”
“Lesson three: You must respect a woman that is willing to get their hands dirty just like the boys but also respect should be given because women are equal, if not better at dealing with the problems of this world. There’s no more laziness that can be spared so if a woman behaves this way, she might as well roll over and die.”
Devlin grinned - “Yes dear.”
Rose paused midstride to look over her shoulder at Devlin. She glared at the grinning vampire as she stomped back to him and poked her finger on his chest.
“Are you fucking mocking me?”
Devlin burst into a laughing fit as he replied, “YES DEAR!”
Rose opened her mouth as she fumed at the jubilant vampire. She pinched her lips together tightly as she glared at him with stakes in her eyes as she fumed, “You think you’re pretty damn cute, don’t you?”
“I’ve been accused of that my dear so I won’t deny it!”
“Lesson four, tick boy: Never under any circumstances mock, belittle, or make fun of a woman that has the skills to dismember and behead you with little to no effort! She will have the right to behead you and shove it up your ass so you can see the error of your ways because obviously, you didn’t learn with that obnoxious head sitting between your shoulders!”
Devlin double over laughing as he put a hand up in surrender. Rose glared but found herself smiling and chuckling. Why can’t I hate him? He was clearly mocking me and now he’s laughing that undead ass off, that sexy piece of undead ass. Devlin wiped the tears from his eyes and his laughter came to a halt as he noted Rose’s expression.
“What’s the matter Rose? Are you feeling alright?”
“Never better!” Rose purred as she leaned up and pressed her lips against his and let her hands plant firmly on Devlin’s ass. He groaned as she parted her lips, inviting his tongue which Devlin was happy to accept. He embraced Rose like she was a prized possession of his and didn’t want to let go. Rose’s eyes lids fluttered as she grinded against Devlin’s engorged shaft. Maybe there was more between us than just being friends or our clothes, Rose thought in a haze as she felt her core slicken with want. She came out of it when she noticed that Devlin was tenderly kissing and licking her on the neck.
“If you are hungry…” Rose said between deep breaths, “then take what…you need…”
“I hunger for you Rose.” Devlin murmured against her skin, giving her goose bumps, “I want to rip your clothes off, lick every succulent inch of your beautiful body, and then give you a pleasure you never knew your body could experience!”
Rose’s whole body shuttered. How could one man’s words make me feel so wanted, so desired? Maybe this what true love is like? Devlin seemed more than capable of following on his boasting because he had tons of experience, like centuries, and Rose wanted him to make her body obey all his demands. Rose opened her eyes and realization hit her hard when she saw where they were. Beneath her feet was sticky from all the black ichor oozing from the walls where the decapitated and mutilated ghouls lay.
Devlin groaned as he backed away from Rose and saw the disgust on her face. She looked at him and said, “I don’t think this would be the best place for a make out session.”
Devlin adjusted his swollen member and nodded solemnly but knew that she was right. This wasn’t the kind of place that he wanted their first time to happen. I can do better than this, Devlin vowed, I will show her the world and make her realize that she’s worth every second of my time. He knew of many place that he wanted to show her and to see the look in her eyes, like the one she gave him when he produced fruit for her, it would make his heart soar above the clouds.
“You have a point, Rose. Now that we’ve somewhat got that out of our system, we should explore this place. I can track where Duncan is but in this place I’m beginning to see that even that skill is on the fritz.”
“Then I guess we should get our asses moving then.” Rose sheathed her katana and walked over to the wooden door. It seemed out of place against all the gold and black ichor, but Rose wasn’t going to figure out the decorative mind set of an angel. She yanked on the door handle and it creaked open as well as made a squishing sound as the bottom squeegeed the mangled ghoul body parts and ichor. Devlin peered through the slight opening and that the hallway was empty. He grabbed the door and helped Rose open it up just enough for them to slip through.
Rose crinkled her nose at the smell of rotting flesh and walking on them was like wading through a small bog made of molasses. Devlin kept his sword ready in case someone found them wandering the halls, but compared to the room that housed all those ghouls, the palace seemed more like an empty tomb. Rose pulled the wooden door closed, not wanting to make it obvious that a massacre happened in there but with all the black ichor seeping out the door it may end up being a mote point.
“It’s quieter than I expected.” Devlin muttered.
“They could all be gathered somewhere hurting and torturing Duncan.” Rose hissed under her breath.
“A place this big could hold thousands of people and we could’ve ended up in the one area rarely used.”
“I doubt it. This place looks immaculate! There isn’t a speck of dust or dirt anywhere and that’s saying something since Penemuel said this place was built where the oceans once thrived.”
Devlin nodded and then added – “You have a point so I’m going to wager that the people are gathering in the courtyard. Surely this place has one.”
“Then let’s split up and search these rooms.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Devlin gave her a look of concern.
“Yes I do and remember lessons one and two.” Rose popped off as she walked over to the opposite wall and grasp the door handle of the first room.
Devlin groaned – “I know the lessons but I wanted to say be safe and be cautious.”
As Rose opened the door, an avalanche of cleaning towels came tumbling down on her.
“Rose!” Devlin bit out a high pitched whisper, “Are you okay?”
Rose kicked a mass of towels of all sizes off of her and couldn’t help but laugh. She looked over her shoulder and gave Devlin a thumbs up and replied, “Yep I found the linen closet! Look Devlin, I’m on the rag!”
Devlin rolled his eyes as he shook his head before gently opening the door before him. Nothing fell down on his so that was a good start, but when he opened the door fully he saw that there were several children slaving away. They were on their hands and knees scrubbing and polishing the floors and walls, looking like the epitome of exhaustion. Devlin could see that their fingers were worn down to the bone and bleeding and yet they kept on scrubbing and polishing away. Each one had on filthy, dirty clothing that either didn’t fit or barely stayed on.
Devlin’s anger started to rise at the thought of having all these children here as slave labor. What did these kids do to deserve such a life? If I could teleport right now, I’d be setting these kids free right now! Devlin quietly shut the door, not wanting to disturb the kids because he wasn’t sure if they could be trusted not to raise an alarm. Soft voices caught Devlin’s attention as he walked up to the next door.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Rose was on her knees talking with a small boy who couldn’t have been no more than nine. She was smiling and holding the boy’s tiny emaciate hand in her hand and kept reassuring him that she was a good lady. Devlin opened the door slightly and saw the same scene, more kids being worked to death all in the name of vanity. Devlin closed the door quietly and turned around and found Rose was walking towards him with the little boy still holding her hand.
The sight of Rose with a child made his heart swell because it suited her whether she knew it or not and it made her glow more radiant with that love but she had a more somber expression. Devlin kneeled down on the floor and smiled at the little boy, but kept his fangs from showing as he asked, “Who is this brave little boy you have with you Rose?”
“Devlin, this is Danny. He found me putting all those cleaning rags away and decided to help me out.” Rose said as she squatted next to Danny, “Can you say hi to Devlin?”
The boy seemed scared as his body began to shake. Danny skidded around behind Rose and held on to her tightly as he peered around her to see Devlin. Confused, Rose asked, “Danny? What the matter?”
Devlin let out a heavy, sad sigh – “It’s me Rose. He’s terrified of me and what I am.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you look like someone who’s -”
“No, it’s me alright.” Devlin leaned against the wall as he sat down, “Through the centuries, children have always behaved that way around me or when I’m near. It’s their survival instinct, it kicks in when they sense danger like when a hungry predator is nearby. You will have to show him that I’m safe sweetheart because he will never believe anything coming from me.”
Rose spun around and held Danny in her arms to comfort and give him a sense of security. The boy was filthy and probably hasn’t had a bath in forever. His jet black hair was long and shaggy as well as matted down in spots. His eyes were sunken in from the lack of nutrition and was more than likely starving.
“It’s okay Danny. Devlin isn’t going to hurt you, he’s a good man.” Rose said calmly as she stroked the boy’s back.
“He’s a bad person!” Danny squeaked out as he sobbed, his voice came out scratchy like he was parched, “I just know he is!”
Rose looked over at the vampire and saw that the little boy’s words were affecting him. Devlin looked away as he bit on his bottom lip and appeared to Rose that he was on the verge of tears. Rose put her hands on Danny’s head and forced him to look at her as she said, “I know what you mean Danny. When I first saw Devlin, I was scared too. I didn’t know if he was going to hurt me since I was in a bad place had no one to protect me.”
“W-what happened?”
“I found out he was a good person, despite that bad feeling coming from him. He can’t help that but if you give him a chance, I’m sure he’d love to be your friend.”
“I can be your friend, Danny and look what I have here to share.” Devlin smiled at the boy as he produced a small water canteen and a peach, “I may be scary but I would never hurt you Danny for I take care of all my friends. Will you be my friend?”
Danny glanced over at the offering and Devlin could tell he was at war with himself if he should reach out for it or not so he added as he tossed the peach up in the air and let it land in his waiting hand, “This peach is as fresh as they come. When you bite down into its soft skin, its succulent juices will gush all in your mouth and -”
Danny rushed out of Rose’s arms and caught the peach midair and ran back over to her as he greedily bit into the peach. Tears rolled down the little boy’s cheeks as he devoured the peach and it made both Devlin and Rose smile. Devlin slid the water canteen on the floor and said, “There’s some good, refreshing water in it if you’re thirsty.”
Rose picked it up, unscrewed the lid and took a sip before handing to Danny. He held the canteen like it was made of the finest china and cherished each gulp like they could be his last, which was likely to be true. Rose smiled at the little boy as she asked, “I know you’ve been here for a while now, are your parents here as well?”
“They are somewhere, but it’s okay that I haven’t seen them.”
“Why is that?” Devlin asked.
“If your parents come to claim you from the cells, then that means you’ve been chosen for death.”
Rose gasped, “What? That’s awful!”
“Yeah it is, I’ve lost two sister and my brother so I’m the last on their list. All the people here who have children must show their devotion and love to Jesus by sacrificing their kids to the dead folks.”
“How many kids are here?” Devlin asked as he clenched his fist.
“A lot. I can’t count that high but each week, we lose another kid to the dead folks.” Danny said as he leaned into Rose’s chest for comfort. Rose wanted to steal this poor boy away from this life, the perfect nightmare that he was forced to live in for the past five years. She squeezed Danny tightly, wanting to keep all the ghouls, his parents, and Sorath away from him. She heard a ruffling of clothing as Devlin stood up. She could tell he was thinking the same as her.
“Danny?” Devlin turned away so the boy wouldn’t see the red in his eyes, “Do you know where all the people are today? We are looking for our friend who was brought here recently. His name is Duncan Morgan, have you heard the name?”
The boy’s brighten up as he pushed away from Rose and scrambled to his blistered feet. Rose had the urge to grab him and hold Danny more but instead she stood up with a smile see him jump around and acting like a kid who knows all the answers. Danny even surprised Devlin when he took him by the hand and started to lead them down the hallway.
“He’s in a cell not far from mine!” Danny chirped as he led them around the corner and up a smaller hallway. ”Some of the other kids got to listening and heard lots! Jesus says he’s a bad person who needs to be made an example of for killing his people and dead folks! I feel bad for him, he’s going to be hurt bad today…like right now, I think.”
Devlin and Rose glanced at each other with concern as they neared a set of wooden double doors. Rose asked, “Are you taking us back to your cell so we can see him?”
Danny froze. He turned around and looked at them with pity in his cavernous eyes. He shook his head and stated, “I fear for you if you go down there now, you might get caught…so, I can lead you there when my work is done in a few hours when it gets dark.” He pointed a shaky hand at the wooden double doors and added, “Through there is a spot where you can see most of this place and may see Duncan too. I must go now before I’m missed.”
Danny lunged at Devlin and hugged him around his waist. Devlin felt surprised but he hugged the little boy back with his hands draped on his neck. As Danny pulled away, he yelped as he rubbed his neck.
“Sorry, my nails are sharp. Here take an extra peach for later.”
Danny snatched and hugged Rose who raised her eyebrows at the vampire. As Danny ran off down the hallway, they walked towards the wooden double doors. Rose shot Devlin a menacing look as she watched him lick the boy’s blood off his fingernail. “Did you really have to do that?” Devlin pulled one of the doors open and let Rose through first as he replied, “Yes. I will find him and set all of them free!” the sound of a whip cracking caught their attention as they surveyed the courtyard. It was crowded and everyone watched Duncan being whipped by a woman while Jesus watched on and said loudly, “Of course you can! Since this is your husband after all, give him one that he will always remember!”
Rose gasped, “That woman is Duncan’s wife! What a fucking bitch! How could she do this to his?”
“With too much joy, I’m afraid.” Devlin winced as he saw the placement of her final blow. Then they heard the crowd cheer and saw Duncan being pelted by rocks from everywhere. Rose couldn’t stand to watch any longer so she buried her face in Devlin’s chest. He held her tightly as he caressed her head and murmured, “I’m sure this isn’t the last of the punishment he will get from Sorath. Mark my words, we will get the kids and Duncan out of here…no matter the cost.”