Cider: Book Six of LEVS - ON HIATUS

Thankies for all the reviews and clickies. Mucho appreciated. It has been pointed out by various Loyal that my writing has changed for the better. See, I can be taught...and since the ultimate goal is to get this eventually published I have to kick it up because I can't spend a year editing. (eep...my own stubborness and baka-ness) So, the chapters will be a tad bit shorter. Hopefully the mistakes will be lessened. And, it makes the story flow better...that's the goal anyways. We shall see.

So, since there is reference to Hashmalliam, I decided to remind everyone of the prophecy.


“In the end of days,
He will come upon fiery wings,
A creature no Blood can call its own.
Through a storm of fire and silver he will walk
Rendering asunder all we have known
Or can remember.
Remaking the world in his own image.
Harbinger of destruction.
Destroyer of darkness.
He will walk in blood and light,
Hashmallim, the Illuminated
Let all the Blood tremble before him.
Revere him, love him, fear him
Hasmallim the Assassin;
Lord of the new Blood Nation.”

-Lycan Prophecy, @600 AD

Chapter 2: Wings and Alleys

There is nothing like the open road and your mechanical two wheeled steed. The wind whipping through my blue hair. Bugs stinging my face. It’s almost like flying. Almost. Not even close to the sensual sensation of the wind caressing your danglies up under your kilt as you hit an updraft. But I wouldn’t want to try that on a motorcycle. Road rash would be like a cheese grater and I valued something a little too much to even mess around with the possibility. If you know what I mean.

There is one benefit to a bike over flying. The man plastered like a bandage across my back and hips. His black leather clad arms were tight around my waist. His groin pressed hard and warm against my backside. The inner thighs squeezing slightly every turn. Every once in a while our helmets would clack together. It’s the law people! Get your minds out of the gutter. As I was saying, having my Sasha at my back with his body wrapped around me while we tooled down the open highway was a natural high.

Yes, I wanted to get my ‘Cherish’ on but never put off today what could be done today. This would clear up tomorrow as a lovey dovey getaway for the two of us. I would rather get House-work done and over with immediately. The Board of Directors could be such a pain in the ass when they thought I was slacking off...well when they thought Xavier was slacking off. The brothers quarto were still a well guarded secret. Just goes to show that when the House of Assassin’s swears an oath of secrecy, they mean it.- even from the powers that are above their CEO. As it was, this was a white envelope mission. Search only. Nothing beyond that. Carnage would tap dance through the president’s mind and I would let my nimblies fly over the president’s keyboard so we would have a physical backup of the metaphysical evidence, so to speak. In and out and we’re done.

I leaned the Indian over a little further so I got a man-sized hug from my passenger. I’m stoked. My body is just a-buzzing. Watching my mutz play up on stage in black leather and ripped up t-shirt was awe inspiring. If I was in the audience I would be screaming Dead, Dead, Dead, too! The stuff wet dreams are made of...and he’s mine.

/Keep your mind on the road, Fallen./ His silent speak massaged my brain.

Claudius was right, back tot he business at wing.

Roger Ellis, the Third was the latest CEO of Ellis Intel a division of Ellis International, a conglomerate that was started by Roger the First back in the Depression. It started out selling hooch, then moved into production then moved to manufacturing then moved to communications and computers as time progressed. The Ellis have been at the forefront of the latest waves in the financial tsunamis that have threatened everyone as of late. Easily skirting disaster after disaster or even creating a new wave to crest over the business world. One or two trend setting markets could be over looked but seventeen? There was a stink rising from Ellis Intel and Shadoe Inc had gotten a whiff. This wasn’t a regular run of the mill client request.

This was a Board request.

Hades; former assassin, former CEO, former rapist, current great grandmother to my winglets and the perpetual pain in the ass that he is, said that in the entire history of Shadoe Inc and the House of Assassins, the Board has made three requests. It turned out well for the Vampire Nation, not so profitable nor so swell for the other Bloods or Humans who were involved. Of course he didn’t elaborate.

The only parting words were as I tucked the white envelopment in my motorcycle jacket was, “The Vampire Nation is the pinnacle of the Bloods, Edward. With that comes the responsibility of policing the rest of the Blood Nation. We are like the Roman Empire. When there is unrest or the possibility of greater bloodshed, the Lord Emperor and his armies come in and settle the matter. No one likes it when the Vampires have to step in and balance the scales.”

“When was the last time the scales were balanced?” I pulled my bike upright and flipped the kickstand out of the way.

“There is a reason why the Oclanov Blood is no more.”

I frowned at him. Yeah, I knew that. I killed the last three fire demons after they had raped me and gave me the ‘infamous phoenix wings’ that pyschobitch grandma wanted her dead lover reincarnated as me to have. I have the blue fire and all the side effects that go with it such as post burn hyper metabolism that ensures that I will never be a big man again. If I don’t take my little blue pills, I’ll be nothing but skin and skeleton...and phoenix fire. I slapped one of my jacket pockets to makes sure that my little pill bottle was safely stored there.

“You know what eventually happened to the Roman Empire.” I shook my head and lifted my helmet.

“The only thing in the world right now that causes me any concern for the Blood Nations is Hashmalliam.”

I stilled. Hashmalliam the Destroyer of Nations. Once upon a time I thought Azrael, my younger brother, and myself were the ultimate destruction. It turns out Skell, my littlest brother born from the hate and cruelty of Orel Wessel was to be the most feared thing not only in this world but the other metaphysical plains. Skell, the emotionally stunted and disconnected of the brotherhood was prophesized to be the ‘Lord of the New Blood Nation.’ If Lanseng, long tall and blue, wasn’t all over him like a barnacle anchoring him to this world, this life, this family, there is no telling what he could do. He was my baby brother but truthfully he scared the crap out of me sometimes. Add into the mix, Endellion – a black sword that eats souls and Ripa, a baby dragon who calls him mama, there is a reason the Blood Nations have been quiet lately. Who the hell wants to wake the sleeping destroyer?

“Why the hell did you bring that up? Has this got something to do with Skell?”

Hades shrugged.

I narrowed my gaze and stared at him. He looked different somehow. Oh, his hair was longer starting to flip out into golden curls that rocks stars from the 80’s oh so liked. Growing out his hair? Why would he...

I remember Liam waxing poetic about his little Honeybee’s golden waves of curly locks. “The Loyal have been given orders to keep you away from Seth.”

Hades looked like I just bitch slapped him without warning. His watery blue eyes widened and a stain of pink blush rushed across his cheeks. What the hell? He had thought about it. “You pedophile!”

“I am not a pedophile. Seth is only twelve. I have no intention of pursing him until he gets his wings.”

Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly. Not when Papa Eddie was around. “Liam said that he waited until your balls dropped.”

“That bastard!” The pink turned to a red flush of rage. “What else did William blab about our private lives?”

William and Hades, or maybe I should say Liam and Cillian. Lovers for a thousand years and they ranted and raved like hormonal teenagers. Right now Liam’s soul was in the body of my son Seth, another gift from the science division of Orel Wessel. All the Vampire physicians have said that my boy is progressing at a normal rate for a fledgling but we don’t know what that damned organization might have done to him. He is a by-product of a forced breeding project. Orel Wessel wanted an army of blue line vampires who had been shaped in their own imagine to command. We, the brotherhood and the House of Assassins ended that. Armor was cleaning up the residue so that the vile presence couldn’t intrude on our lives again. As for Seth, he looked like me. When the triplets finally all got their wings it was between 17-19 years old. Alexander was the last to get his mainly because girls develop quicker. We would know in seven years if Seth was a blue line vampire...and this would be the time that Liam’s soul would awaken which left me a little disturbed. Would this mean my Seth would disappear? Would it be as it was when Liam merged with William and shared a host? Was the personality that Seth had now, really Liam? So many questions. So many worries. So many years before concerns could be answered.

“Back to my original question, Hades. Hashmalliam?”

“I tried to think of the absolutely worse thing that could happen. The only thing I could come up is Hashmalliam. I’ve never lived through him. William would not speak of those times and I honoured his request.”

“More along the lines he wouldn’t tell you.”

“He could annoying that way. Have fun with Claudius, Edward.” Nothing like a mystic quips and added pressure from the former founder and head of the corporation to start a mission off right.

We were going in blind. Nothing to sway us one way or the other. The question we were to find the answer for was ‘how does Ellis get his information?”

I had a feeling that it was other worldly.

How other worldly? Heck if I know. I get a vibe. A feeling in the pit of my stomach once in a while and then shit hits the fan. Ever since I got that envelope I had that twitchy feeling. A sixth sense to go with the multiple personalities filling my fine toned form. Sasha’s arms tightened around my waist. For being a bezerker, he has emotional radar that picked up on me so quickly. Just one of the many reasons I love this vampire.

We roared into the target city just past one in the morning. The bike was making a thundering racket as it echoed down empty streets and bounced off of glass skyscrapers. It was time to go stealth mode. I pulled into an alley behind one of the office buildings. Claudius hopped off the bitch seat and pulled his helmet off. I grinned at him stupidly as he shook out of his long black hair. It was tangled from the wind and the bit that was flattened in the helmet was slick to his scalp. I probably didn’t look much better. He pulled a black bandana from his leather pants and wrapped it around his head. My hair was still all over the place.

“I will comb it later, Fallen. Kill the lights, please.”

The blue line was a fickle thing. Nah, that’s not right. It’s just that as individuals we have different talents. I have mastered some blue line stuff, Claudius has mastered others. Some things we can do well others, well, that EMP Claudius can do with a thin spiderweb fine Hand of Light attached to his dagger is uniquely his. I couldn’t even attach the hand of light to anything; it just melted. I could move things with my mind though. Callia could almost match me. Lex could turn the light switch off and on. Claudius gave himself a migraine trying to move a pencil. Until he got pissed and then it ended up sticking out of a wall. It’s still there just plastered and painted over. Claudius frustrated is a scary thing.

I stared up at the security lights around the building. One by one, I pulled the blubs towards me, breaking the power connection until the alley was bathed in complete darkness. Well the human eye would find it in complete darkness. It was just twilight for us creatures of the night. Speaking of creatures...

/Yo’ Mo./

/Hey there, Sexy. Where are you?/

/About six blocks away. We are going airborne./

/Roof is clear. Target is in his office, alone. Ordered Chinese. Moogooguy pan smells delicious. ETA?/

/In five. You’re hungry?/

/Later, Sexy. Just tell me when you want the ruckus and I’ll bring it./

/Will do, hellkitty./

I turned and cocked my head at Claudius. “Back up is in position.”

“Morose?”

“None other. Ready to fly?” I stripped off my leather jacket and left it on the handle bar. My wings came easily when I called them. Even in the darkness of the alley I was a pale pastel white of feathers and tinkling glass. I shivered and my wings fluttered noisily. There was never going to be stealth when I had my wings out – at least on the ground. In the air, I was king of the sky.

Sasha stripped off his jacket. His own black wings filled the span of the alleyway. He blocked out the light from the end of the street. Okay, I was prince of the sky. Sasha was king. His feathers rustled like dried leaves. A little softer than mine, a little sweet and bit more natural. My black Russian flared his wings and I swear my heart skipped a beat. We weren’t working yet. I skipped forward and caught him around the back of the neck. I didn’t have to pull him down to me. His wing slipped around me, under the swell of my ass and he lifted me up off my feet. It was a kiss. It was more. It was a declaration. It was a celebration. It was what it was meant to be. I loved him. I loved him from the tips of my white wings to the ends of my white toes. Salt and Pepper. Ying and Yang. Emperor and Emperor. The taste of cloves and cinnamon heat mixed in my mouth as we kissed.

“Fallen...”

“Sasha...”

“You are temptation in white.’

“Can I tempt you?”

“You always tempt me. You breathing is a temptation. Before you tempt me further, get your cute tight ass up in the air.” The wing dropped out from under me and I landed back down on the balls of my feet.

I think my eyebrows hit my hairline. “I beg your pardon.”

Sasha folded his wings behind him then took a firm hold on my forearm. “You can beg me later. Ready?”

He flashed me a true smile and then proceeded to do his imitation of the Olympic hammer throw, except I was the hammer. I was an albatross on the land and I can’t do a standing flight. My wings are too narrow. There is only a four foot difference between mine and Sasha but those four feet were the difference. The momentum of his spin and toss gave me enough height and speed to take to the sky. I flapped my white wings hard and began to rise skyward. I heard the rustle of leaves behind me as I cleared the top of the building. I veered off toward the Ellis building with my black winged shadow behind me. Whoosh, whoosh. Black hair and black wings moved passed me just under my leading edge.

Von Drachenfeld was on the move.


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