Angels Blood

by

Gerard Bond

Second Edition

Copyright © 2014 Gerard Bond

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.

ISBN:
978-1-312-16764-3

To my deceased parents

May this book be the first of many in finally following my passions and in doing so making them happy

To all those people I talked to and shared my dreams with, to all those that gave me a thumbs up and encouragement over the years. To those that without them even knowing kept me going not only in writing this book but also continuing to strive in life.

I thank you

Angels Blood

Wollfen looked out over the valley from his vantage point, an open meadow surrounded by the forest, there was a blanket of many hued greenery below him. Signs of a river winding its way out towards the distant flatlands like an old scar running through the trees, no view of the water flowing there. He looked up at the sky, the dark clouds gathering almost like a portent of things to come.

Shit, he would need to move soon if he was to miss the brunt of the storm front approaching this hill. The sun was still biting, it seemed somehow harsher these days. In fact everything seemed harsher these days, he mused. There were rumblings not only in those distant clouds but also amongst the people, even here away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities and towns.

He could still sense it, there was no escaping the ominous signs, they were everywhere, times were changing and people had no idea. I’m going to be one of those changing it he thought to himself, it wasn’t arrogance that prompted him to think that but rather a resigned understanding of his lot in life. An inexorable drawing together of circumstances he had for so many years fought against, so passionately he had believed in the good, believed in better times as the world turned and got older, but reality didn’t work that way.

The world wasn’t concerned with good and bad, right or wrong, just change, and now, after so many years on the outside looking in, he saw the threads tighten, the picture revealing itself. He had a curious knack for seeing how big events played out and their consequences. And resisting, always resisting, saw his part in it, to be the trigger of a great upheaval. To bring about the downfall of so many he knew was necessary, the old was choking the new.

The old kept hanging on too long always directing the new just that bit too much, the human race and otherkind had become stagnant even decadent in many ways. The corruption of the institutions and government offices. Self indulgences far beyond the needs of a select few that cared naught for the masses. The entire society had become a machination of the elite, serving their own selfish ends. And for the majority, their lives had become the same. A monotonous daily grind of labor and materialism. People had gotten comfortable in their nothingness, their existence of self gratification. They weren’t even aware that their struggles through life weren’t going anywhere anymore, just more of the same, the races had stopped developing. Even the elves of the northwest had in their own way become irrelevant.

Well he was going to break that cycle, smash it beyond repair and most people would hate him for releasing them from their dull existences. His name would become spat upon for all time and he didn’t care, after all, it mattered not to the dead and wasn’t life but a mere stepping stone to the spiritual world and life eternal? Well he supposed it was, but the Gods hadn’t told him it was, in fact, the Gods hadn’t told him anything. Probably sitting back,chuckling as they wait for the big show, who the heck knew and who cared? Those people down there didn’t, they were going to care again and they were going to be beseeching the heavens in the coming years.

It was time to move. They needed to get off that mountain, the cool air of the storm front had hit him and he could taste the moisture in it. Mm crisp and refreshing, lifting his head up to feel it a little more he turned around. Just then the wind picked up and hit his back, almost as if to urge him on his way.

"I know, I have to go.” he murmured to himself.

He strode down the hill, his long strides eating up the distance between him and the line of trees. He was a reasonably big man at 6ft 2in, not too big, not too small, reasonable trim. He was vain enough to keep the pounds off these later years, being in his early forties. It would have been easy to grow a paunch and indulge, relax after many years of work. But no that would not do, not do at all. There would be fights, times to kill and times to run. At least he was fit enough to do it.

As he entered the trees the sun lost its power, it was cooler more inviting here. He liked the twilight of the forest, it seemed like a much better balance between light and dark. Yes, time to bring balance, after all wasn’t that what he existed for? Popped out and dropped on this world to influence the flow of events. Man I philosophize way too much, stop thinking and just do. The time to do was fast approaching, way too fast as far as he was concerned. Not fast enough for those standing there in the woods.

A small group of eight, close friends and all them with their own special talents. Darkling was there watching waiting, she was always a pleasure to return to. She was slim, shorter, blond hair hanging free, she smiled as he approached, all eyes on him, his eyes only seeing her. Wollfen gave her a warm kiss and quick embrace. He turned and looked at each of the other six studying them each carefully wanting to remember this moment.

There was Kane and Solynne, he dark haired and clean shaven, her red long hair in stark contrast to her fair skin. Both of them athletic and capable people. Kane was also a natural born leader and great tactician. Solynne was no less capable, they complimented each other well.

Next to them stood Nightwing and Loranda, the two girls were lovers and both dangerous with swords in their hands, Nightwing suited her name with brunette hair tied back and dark eyes. Loranda was almost the opposite with blonde hair tied back too.

Lastly there was Justin and Keera, both brown haired and lively. He a young man from the farm, she formally of the city and an accomplished mercenary in days gone by. None of them had yet hit thirty.

Wollfen finally nodded to them and with a deep voice that carried further than it needed he addressed his gathered pack,

“
Now is the time to move.” With that they spoke not a word but all       turned, mounted their horses and began moving away.

A  GATHERING

Dark sat there in the semi darkness looking down at the naked body of Wollfen, his chest slowly rising and falling in his deep sleep.  She admired his body, not just because it drove her wild during passionate sex, but also because she could see and had felt its hardness, tougher than most at his age.  She had bedded enough men to know, soft self- indulgent worms, all grown weak from their soft lives and sad dull existences. She had been one of them, soft, self indulgent and uncaring. Dark realized life had become meaningless to her in  the few years before this man.

That was until he had walked into her life. She had noticed him immediately.  Like a beacon in the night, mesmerizing, at least to her and a few others. He had seemed like a lost puppy at first, looking inquisitive, innocent, sweet, but there had been more, a lot more.  There just underneath that outer shell of niceness was a harder, colder being; watching, learning, studying, always on the alert, always wary. His name suited him, a bit of a loner, but fiercely loyal to a select few. His wolf pack he liked to call us, he loyal and protective of us as much as we were of him. 

She looked at him once more stretched out on the bed, his brown long wavy hair a mess on the pillow. His chest rising and falling slowly. Mm, that magnificent manhood lying there on one thigh, so satisfying no matter how he used it, it made her mouth water.  She leaned down and massaged him a little, it felt so good.  He stirred a bit and she stopped.  It was prudent to stop, she was so sore from their night of passion.  She really needed the break.  But oh he was so enticing. Plenty of time for that again this evening, dawn was breaking and she had things to do soon.

Dark stood up, the light from the window fell across her bare breasts. She noticed both were a bit bruised around her tender nipples, mm more memories.  She had never had such passionate sex like she had with him and she loved it.

Walking away she quietly opened the door and snuck out, being careful not to disturb her lover. Walking across the grass, her bare feet sensed the cool wetness of the morning dew. The crisp air caressed her nude form as she made her way to the stream, there the placid pool was like glass, until she dipped her toes in. A little bit cool, but manageable. She slowly slipped in, the water rippling out from her and down into it she went. Not stopping and allowing the surface to totally envelop her, down down, she dived deep into the stream.  Sliding along on her belly, eyes closed, feeling those weird sensations of her nipples dragging through the mud. No longer able to hold her breath, she allowed herself to surface, mouth opening and pulling in the fresh air, ah so refreshing. Floating back to the edge, she pulled herself up and out of the water and walked back to the cabin, her naked body glistening in the rays of the dawn.

Quietly she opened the door and slipped in.  Then going to the bedroom, she left wet footprints on the floorboards.  The bed was empty. Hands clasped around her belly and she gasped a little in surprise, Wollfen clasped her to him, his body pressing against her back.  He slipped his hands over her belly, felt slowly up and cupped each breast, kissing her neck. Dark let out a low moan, his rod engorging and slipping between the wet cheeks of her butt.  She instinctively pivoted her hips in acceptance, then she paused. 

“
No my love, we haven’t the time, we must move.”

Sighing, Wollfen released her and stood back a little.  Dark turned in his arms and grabbed his head.  She pulled his face down to hers and gave him a soft deep kiss, trading love. He grunted a little. 

“
You are right my dear, I’ll have a dip too and come back.”

Off he went following the very same path she had taken. Dark looked on, she never tired of looking at that body.  Oh yes, and nice butt too, she smiled to herself and went about her business. 

There was a lot of packing to do and it needed to be sorted.  She rolled her blanket and tied it off.  The two of them had taken everything off their horses in  the rain and a lot of it was still wet. The night before they had sauntered along until by luck had come across this empty cabin and barn.  It had been a godsend. 

Her leathers and riding boots had become soaked in that unnaturally violent storm. She remembered she had been thrilled at first, but as the storm had wore on, stronger and stronger it seemed, she had become worried, then frightened.  She had kept looking to Wollfen for reassurance, but he had been lost in his thoughts, brooding on something.  The storm could have never happened for him, he was so far away. 

She had been so happy to find the cabin and convinced Wollfen to stop, by no small feat either.  It had taken her making love to him for most of the hours of the night to break that black spell on him. She wondered what it meant. He shared most things with her but of late he had grown quieter. Sometimes he shared, sometimes he didn’t, the ‘didn’t’ kept becoming more, it was worrying her. Why the silence? What was he thinking? Did he really trust her? Of course he did, he would always say, ‘Stop looking for things to stress about, be in the moment, it will be fine’. Yes, things and problems came and went, and yes she guessed he was right, it would be fine.

Wollfen lay on the water’s edge contemplating the trickle of water flowing in and out of his belly button as he breathed. Damn, Dark had a wonderful way of breaking his single mindedness and he was grateful for it.  He had been so lost in his thoughts after coming down off the hill last night.  He had ridden along, oblivious to the ferocity of the storm, unseeing of the cabin.  It had been Dark who had dragged him in and even then, he had sat there in his soaked clothes thinking. She had stripped him off, made love to him, made him warm again.  Oh yes, more than warm, delicious.

Still, those nagging thoughts were there.  There was something new, a sense of another presence.  The good and bad, they were always there and while each tipped back and forth as they did, he had never sensed anything else.  But now, on the eve of change, there was this presence, of something other. It worried him. He lifted himself out of the water. No point in it; stop it, I tell everyone else to not worry, so why can’t I do it too?  

He walked back to the cabin. Dark was there tending to the wet clothes.   She looked up and a smile danced across her face.

“
Well baby, what shall we wear? The rain soaked riding gear, the sodden day wear or our waterlogged nightwear?” she commented.

Wollfen looked down at her nubile form, her naked body flexing as she worked, muscles standing out where only soft folds existed before.  He liked the way she had tautened up over the last year.  She had become a lean panther, a sensual strong being that made his pulse run a little quicker when he saw her.

“
There’s nothing for it but to hang the clothes outside in the sun for a few hours and keep ourselves entertained?” Dark’s smile grew into a grin,

“
Yes, damn the soreness, no point in wasting idle time.” She winked and stood up, gathering the clothes in her arms. 

“
I’ll be right back lover boy.” she said in sensual tones. 

He spanked her bare butt as she stepped by with a light jump and a chuckle on her part in response. 'Mm, lucky my blanket is still out.' He thought as he looked around at the bare floors.

Further away in another part of the forest Kane looked about now that dawn had broken.  He and Solynne had ridden ahead as front guard to their leader.  The storm had separated them though and as always they fell back on predetermined actions. Meet up at the next big town. Well they were on their way.  The inn they had found had fed them, given them a quiet room and fireplace to dry their clothes and boots by during the night. Now their horses were packed and ready to go. Kane looked about. Amongst the trees he saw a shock of red hair, ah there she was. 

“
Solynne!”

“
Yes?”

“
Time to go.” Solynne exited the trees buttoning up her trousers. “You could have used the outhouse.” he commented.

“
Well it stinks to high afterlife of men’s pee! You are just a real stinker Kane.”

He sighed, this ride was going to be hard having to put up with her jibes…. he wondered how the other four fared last night? Justin, Keera, Loranda and Nightwing all loyal followers of Wollfen, all leaders in their own right, well it was why he picked us all wasn’t it? Not only for each of our special skills but also to lead when times needed it.  He wondered how Justin was coping with dealing with three headstrong women. Grudgingly he imagined. The gods it was hard enough dealing with Solynne on his own, imagine three he snorted.

“
Something up Kane?”

“
No not at all.” he quipped.

“
You don’t talk too much being my lover.” responded Solynne. 

He didn’t say anything. Solynne pulled herself up on her horse and pulled in beside Kane glowering at him.

“
So, lead the way oh high and mighty.”

Kane moved forward, oh yes it was going to be a very long testing ride.

The third group of the team were moving along slowly. Justin couldn’t believe his luck.  He and Keera had gotten to go with the girls.  He had been listening to them, talk of their lovemaking and impressions.  It was not only an eye opener for this young boy, but he was excited by it too. Keera just kept giving him hard looks and sighs. Keera had taught him a lot, but two girls together? Now that was something he had never heard of! Justin was a country boy, having grown up on an isolated farm in the wilds.  He had learned many skills of survival, even learned how to use his Longbow extremely well. He could hit a rabbit on the move at over a 150 paces but was not wise in any of the ways of the world.  Keera sure was so much more in his eyes.

Wollfen had given Keera the job of “educating” him right from the start.  Now she looked at him. She was sure Justin was in love with her and yes she had to admit, he was a sweet boy that brought a smile to her face, but damn he was immature.

Keera thought back to that night in the Inn.  It must have been over a year and a half now.  The tall man shrouded in dark, his curious presence had drawn her to him almost immediately.   It was like he had an aura. There were so many things she didn’t understand that Wollfen had shown her.  He had touched her mind and given her the images, events, happenings, possibilities of so much more. She had seen with Wollfen’s help what was coming in the world and they were all to play a part in it. Damn, she had lived a day-to-day life up until then and while it kept her busy she hadn't really had any direction, now she had purpose and she was grateful. She had reached out with both hands even begged for it and he had given, now she was his.

Back at the cabin Wollfen awoke with a start, looking about he realized Dark was cradled against his chest to one side breathing slowly in a deep asleep. Looking about he realized it was late, they needed to get going.   Gently awakening Dark, he motioned for her to move, time was growing short. 

“
We really need to move now.”

Dark nodded and yawned. He rolled his blanket and walked out to the barn. Dark followed with their clothes, they were warm to the touch from the sun. 

“
Boots are still soggy though, there’s nothing for it but to strap them to the back of the horse and they can dry on our ride.”

Mm, yes time was of the essence and they had to move.  They dressed quickly and jumped onto their horses. With stomachs growling, they trotted out of the barn and down the road.

Casting his mind to what they needed to do, Wollfen couldn’t help but reflect on how they had gotten into this situation. Too much lovemaking and not enough focus.  Strange how it worked he thought. Being a loner was a double-edged sword.  He had been able to detach himself from most people so that when the time came he would act with little hesitation. People would die and people would get hurt; he couldn’t spend his time developing strong emotional bonds. Time would tell if his path was the right one. As long as they held together for awhile, until things were far enough along and they had gained a momentum of their own and as long as Dark stayed by his side.  She was the one thing he wanted to keep out of all this, if they managed to stay alive.

'NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!' The cry cut through his mind like a knife! 'What is it?' he cried back, sending the thought back via mind touch.  It was Keera, she had called out telepathically and it had struck him.  Something had gone wrong, badly wrong.  He looked out towards the town they were meant to be riding towards, could he see a smudge of smoke?  'They are dead, they are all dead, dead, burned, all dead.' He could hear her moan in his mind, feeling her pain.  It was coming in waves as she lost control, lost focus, what was happening?  Then again he felt it, that presence, the other. Something different to good and bad, but now it was stronger, a cloak of black moving, incomprehensible and it filled his heart with dread.

“
No.”

“
What is it my love?” Dark responded. 

“
Shields up.”

Dark grabbed the shield by her leg.

“
No, your mind!” he snapped.

Already he was straining, fighting.  Something was trying to enter.  Shields up, waterfall, revolving orb of white light, silver lining, all of it, strengthening it all and then the feeling of that presence subsiding.  It  pulled back but was still there, he would need to keep his mental shields up from now on.