A new game with the love of his life was just what Doll needed right now. Would it keep the shadows at bay? Not forever. But the cunning no-fur knew how to get the most out of a moment. Years of finding ways to escape to his beloved gardens at Gran's had taught him that.
And yes, Doll acknowledged he had trauma and nightmarish memories he'd have to face in other moments. The nameless no-fur who had taken on that burden was gone and could finally rest. But right now, he would devote his energy, his thoughts, and his body to what was right in front of him.
His Innehavre. His Soot-walker. His Hades. And the joy of driving him mad.
"Then I will earn my punishment." Doll giggled as he moved from where he was teasing Hades's ear to kissing down his furless chest. "I want to know what you're feeling, my sweet devil."
It was a whisper against Hades's thigh before Doll buried his face in the tom's borrowed seeding pocket. He started slow, his lips kissing the oute
From where he was watching what was happening from inside Spitfire's body, Hades could see that Doll was lost in his own mind. There was too much trauma, too many horrible things had happened to his pretty baby lately for him to pinpoint what exactly Doll was trapped in. But that wasn't important. What was important was getting him out of it."Skin-sheath, are you able to hear me? Can you follow my voice?"Hades worried that speaking in Spitfire's voice wouldn't reach Doll in the same way. But he needed his attention. He had to lead him out of the darkness somehow."Rule one, small gods are seen and not heard. Is that right? Please don't hit me again." Doll curled in on himself. He seemed to be answering questions but not the ones Hades was asking."You are not a small god," Hades growled. This was frustrating. He had been able to help Doll before. He'd brought him back from the dead within days of meeting him. Now that their bond was fully made, why couldn't he do anything for him?I
Projecting his spirit into the Underworld to converse with Wound had been necessary. It was also exhausting. Agent desperately needed to rest, but he did not have the time or opportunity for the kind of rest he really needed.He should return to Tricksy's homeland, to the cave where he had once been worshiped. There were deep caverns there where he could go into hibernation to replenish his body and spirit. But that was not an option right now, not with someone out there trying to overthrow him as God of Chaos.Sinking into the soft bed Priest had allotted for his infrequent visits, Agent wished that he wasn't alone. That was a new feeling. He'd relished his independence, his ability to be alone as much as he wanted. Isolation meant safety. And then King had wandered into his lab in Persiana and destroyed everything. He made Agent vulnerable and then he'd sacrificed himself like a fucking idiot.Once he was done here, Agent was going back to Persiana to find out
"I am going to fucking kill you later, Hades, you fucking asshole!"Jinx was screaming as he tilted the helicopter to the side, trying to avoid a huge flying demon that wasn't interested in what it did to the invading toms on its way toward the gaping Hellgate. Jinx couldn’tspare even a glance to see if it got through. He was too busy focusing on what was in front of him.There was a span of aboutseven and a half seconds before the hordes of the Underworld realized a gate opened that was big enough for most of them to get through. Now they were trying to fly through a raging mob, going against the flow and trying not to be swept back out the Hellgate.Hades wasn't much help right now. He was muttering nonsense as his entire focus was on closing the gate behind them before opening a new one in front of them. But the more demons that pressed towards the gate, the harder it would be for him to close it.Jinx wished his friend luck with that
"Papa, look! He's coming out of the cave."Guru wasn't a big drinker so when he had a hangover it was pretty bad. What he felt now was a hangover times ten. His whole body ached and he felt heavy and slow. The blond tom wasn't even sure what was real. All he knew was he wanted to leave the cold, cramped, and damp space and get some sun.He paused a few feet out of the cave, his confusion growing. All around him were gawking creatures. They weren't toms. If anything they looked like the mythical Hares from the storybooks he used to read. He couldn't hear what all of them were saying but he could make out the few who were standing closest.He started to stand up but a whip came out of nowhere and stung the back of his legs. "None of that now. Filthy toms stay on all fours."Too unsure and too tired to battle the large, uniformed mythological Hare right now, Guru sat on his haunches. He put his paws on his ears. What was that noise? The tapping made his head
Even though he was tightly bound to the Marking chair and paralyzed with several different spells, Agent was still intimidating. Ink had turned the chair so he could no longer feel the no-fur's eyes on his back as he worked on making the ink required for the Marking Priest wanted.If having Agent glare at him wasn't enough, Ink was wrestling with his own doubts about this whole idea Priest had for Marking Agent for the draining ritual. It felt too dangerous. Like there was a power in the strange little no-fur they were not ready for. After all, Agent was in control of a small empire of toms and no-furs alike and had made some alliances with the Hares that Ink barely understood.Ink was growing tired of this game Priest was playing. Only it wasn't a game. The large Grey-furred feline was deadly serious about his use of the unfortunate no-furs who fell into his care. He really meant well. Draining the no-furs of their magick made them useless and unappealing to toms, but the Hares still
Things had been quiet for a while now. Lexi had been moved to a more common no-fur cage which had been terrifying at first. The thought of what might happen if his body shifted of its own accord to a larger demon or Hare form was enough to keep himawake no matter how badly he wanted to rest.Thankfully the Mark the not-so-awful Marker, Ink, had made was holding. There were no more painful, tumultuous shifts.Lexi missed his demon form, the one that felt powerful and natural. The no-fur body seemed so frail and his understanding of Doll and Spitfire had become one of deep appreciation for the strength they possessed to live so boldly in such a complicated, constantly endangered body. For one thing, he wondered how they dealt with the constant cold he felt inside and out. Even Ink's gift of a blanket did nothing to keep his bizarre flat teeth from chattering together.If he still possessed magic, Lexi didn't know enough to use it. Did he need a tom to do so?
The sounds were absolutely deafening. Screams of Demonsfalling into the salt water, something they were not prepared for. The roaring of flames that followed the echoes of the helicopter exploding as it hit the deck of a huge metal ship. Other sounds, other creatures screaming.Hades couldn't make out the specifics, not with his ears still ringing from the initial explosion.At least the Hellgate had closed behind him. He hadn't been sure of his control of the hex magicks as they were spat out of the Underworld shortcut into the middle of the gods-forsaken ocean. At least there was a boat to catch their fall. Like the other two toms in the helicopter, Hades had jumped out as soon as he thought he could safely land on the deck of the ship. But that had separated him from both Jinx and Liam.There hadn't been time for a real plan in the few scant seconds between when Hades had come out of his trance to when it became obvious they were not going to regain con
Liam landed with a thud and certainly not on his feet after the incident on the helicopter. He'd been in enough street scrapes and gotten his ass kicked to know how to take a fall without too much damage. He rolled over and bounced up to his paws very quickly.He hardly had time to get his bearings before he had to duck and run from the talons of an eager Demon. It wasn't the most fantastic move but Liam found a tarp-covered supply bin to hide under. He hated hiding. The sleek White-fur much preferred facing confrontation head on,but the kind he usually faced required brains, not brawn. Still, maybe brains were all that were required right now. He'd know as soon as he surveyed the environment and assessed the dangers.The first thing he needed to know was if he could retrieve his weapon. A quick peek showed it must have been lost in the fall. It was nowhere to be seen. Okay, that sucked. But he still had the single one-shot in his vest but that was hardly going t