Jinx wasn't sure about any of this.
Liam's guys had led them to a very secluded part of Atlas City. The Orangelo held his breath the whole way, while praying himself, the demon Lexi, the big Blonde tom Guru, and Spitfire - the no-fur Guru sort of owned now - were not all going to be quietly disposed of. Thankfully, it became pretty apparent that Liam's toms were almost as skittish as he was.
The three suited toms formed a semi-circle and started chanting in the middle of a deserted street. Jinx leaned back against the building, Lexi bundled in his arms. Liam had insisted they start their journey at the home of a friend and his two no-furs. Without causing further harm, they deftly shrank Lexi down to the size of a kit and glamoured him to look the part. It would only last long enough to get them deep inside the Underworld because of Lexi's demon physiology and how little auric magick they were willing to give his shaken body. As it was, it was hard
Spitfire felt so over-clothed. He was not thrilled with his skin-tight snowsuit. It wasn't because it was ugly. He was sure Guru, who was taking up the rear of their little band of stupidity, had his eyes focused on how nice it displayed the no-fur's backside. That was a plus.But the thing was so damn scratchy on the inside and hot and sticky. He looked forward to peeling it off or better yet getting someone strong and sexy and Blonde-furred to do it.That was the next aggravation. Guru. Big, dumb, yummy Guru. How could a tom that delicious, that fit, be so infuriatingly weird about sex?Spitfire tried to comfort himself by thinking that Guru just needed training, that's all. But that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.And this whole bull about not using their powers unless it was absolutely necessary rubbed him the wrong way. Being a no-fur, no one was going to listen to him even though he felt this whole enterprise was ill-contrived."Coul
Hades was in a rage. The kind of rage that usually resulted in vortexes and demons sneaking through while he cast some pretty dangerous hexes. Unfortunately, his new environment cut him off from his hex magic entirely. The manufactured crystal the Persians had perfected blocked any kind of dark auric resonance. At least as far as he could tell. There was a humming in some of the crystals but it wasn't in Hades's area of auric expertise. He didn't think it would be of use.Besides, the explosive collar around his neck made him hesitate to push his luck. He liked his head right where it was, thank you very much.The Elementalist was in a prison.It was not the first time in his life he'd been incarcerated. But this place was different. It smelled of despair and deceit. One of the first things he noticed was while the population was overly leaning toward Black-furs, there were some other Furs present.The cells were small dug-out holes in the dirt covered with
The wind was picking up and with it came blowing snow. Jinx had moved to a safer vantage point but he'd lost track of Guru and Spitfire. It was just too much. The ice cracked open, swallowing Spitfire, and then a blizzard came out of nowhere.Jinx called out, hoping for a response. The Orangelo was at a loss. Guru had a flare on him, just one, and to set it off was risky. If Jinx didn't see it, he had to assume they were okay or they were so not okay he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He wasn't sure he could turn the fishing pole to the purpose of finding them and if he could, would that make it lose the initial bearings? The beacon would lead him to the demon he needed to heal Lexi. Though having learned the beacon didn't recognize the idea of mortal peril, Jinx wasn't sure how far he should trust it.This was all one big mess. Hades knew the Underworld. What was he doing going to Persiana on a fucking vacation and simple infiltration while Jinx was freezing his ba
Lexi could do nothing to stop it. Jinx was taking too big a risk. A soul pact? For what? For him? The demon tried to speak, to sit up,but his body wouldn't budge. Why was he so tired, so weak? He was a demon, not even just a demon. He was one of the boss's most decorated agents.Three assassins shouldn't have been able to best him. Lexi hated that he hadn't been able to protect the two toms he loved. Instead, he had fallen in battle. Him. A demon warrior. And now he was causing his new love to throw away too much of his life.He watched the interchange between Jinx and his ancestor but even if he hadn't, there was no denying what was happening. Lexi's fur stood on end, the ground and sky sang to his demon blood. As it would every demon in the Underworld. They would know someone had made a deep soul pledge and they would respect that... for a time.Jinx didn't know it but his choice probably bought the time they needed to get to a healer without altercation
Doll was pushed into the huge semi-circle room carved of crystal. He wore the same outfit as every other no-fur already kneeling around the perimeter. The short, dark purple vest and shorts had a tiny bit of embroidery. The outfit stood out glaringly against his pale skin and made him feel out of place. The other no-furs' deep complexions matched the color much better. He was like a weed in a field of wildflowers.The gray-speckled tom at the front stopped his lecture. "Well, hurry along, small god. We aren't here on your schedule."The other no-furs looked at him suspiciously as he found a place to kneel. Doll was doing his damnedest to not cause a scene but his skin color was so different from the native Persians it seemed to make them distrust him instantly, going so far as to move away from him."Now,where was I?" Doll considered the speaker. He was wiry, even twitchy but there was a way his tail coiled that made the no-fur uneasy. He was not someone t
"Someone take my new boy to my cell and make sure he doesn't run away."Hades was hopeful he had made the right play. There would be no public display of sexual submission. Two of the toms who had meant to have their way with Hades did as King bid and dragged him to his feet. With a nod, they escorted him roughly but with a singular purpose to King's cell. Hades noticed the Calico guard making a wide berth after unlocking the exercise yard to let them through.King's cell was more of an office. There were several cushy chairs and a desk. Hades entertained the thought that King might have stolen the lead guard's actual office from the look of things. He didn't appreciate having his paws cuffed after he'd been made to sit in one of the plush chairs. Though it wasn't as bad as what he did to Doll on those thin wooden arms on the plane.He took a moment to savor that memory while he waited for King to join him.He considered trying to pick the handcuffs and esc
Not having any idea what was happening with Jinx, Guru became quite alarmed when the ground, the ice, and the water disappeared. It was just one big void where he sat holding Spitfire."I don't suppose you know what just happened?" Guru asked, not really expecting an answer but still in the act of keeping the pain in the ass awake.It was no surprise when Spitfire muttered sarcastically. "Of course I know. How did you find out I was an Underworld scholar in my free time?""Well, at least it's warmer." Guru unzipped his coat and in the processdumped Spitfire from the sanctuary he had created. "I have to take this off."As he shrugged out of his coat and set it down on what seemed like ground, Guru watched Spitfire. He wanted to make sure nothing was off, that the no-fur wasn't seriously harmed by the freezing water. The blonde tom didn't understand why he struggled so much with Spitfire. He practically started stuttering when he tried to talk t
Spitfire had experienced this once. But it only lasted five minutes before Agent rushed in and gave him the sweet candy drops and a needle with some kind of calming drug. That five minutes had been terrifying. The prospect of managing this without his candy was more than just terrifying. Spitfire didn't even know if there was a word for that.First, there were shakes and hot and cold spells with strange hallucinations. Next, the whole world would turn red and he would start scratching welts into his skin. Then the craving would start.Agent explained it could be managed if Spitfire could find something strong enough to distract him and help him ride it out, but it would come back over and over again until there was no managing it. The candy, which only the evil no-fur had, would be the only thing to soothe him.He couldn't worry about next time. He needed to have something right now. Something stronger than the pull of the candy."Get undressed, tom, and