Galin (6 page)

“My mom was going to—”

“Your mom was going to take all that money
she got running those drugs for her supplier and buy more drugs. And she might
have taken you out to dinner, but you know what would have happened as well as
I do. I didn’t even know your mother and I’d bet she disappointed you more in
one day than this woman has the entire time you’ve lived here.”

Galin had been talking to Rose’s protector
when he’d heard Dusty whimper a few minutes ago. He’d run into the house so
quickly he nearly didn’t see her huddled on the floor with the phone still
clutched in her hand. The look on her face…he knew that would give him
nightmares for a very long time. “Your mother was a doper and a thief, Kip. The
only reason she wasn’t in jail when she was killed is because the police were
hoping to catch her with her buyer.”

“No. That’s not right. You’re—”

“Get out.” They both turned to Dusty when she
spoke. “I don’t know who you are, but I want you out of our house. Now.” Galin
started to speak but she took a step toward him, and Riss was suddenly there
pulling Kip to him and under his protection. As they all dropped to the floor,
Galin heard the gun fire just as he covered Dusty with his wings.

~~~

It took over an hour to calm Kip down. He was
screaming when Riss let him up, and didn’t stop until Riss touched his fingers
to his forehead. Now he just sat in the corner and looked out as if he was no
longer in his body. But Dusty was who worried him the most.

“I should call the police.” She’d said that
five times in the last ten minutes and no one told her again that she’d called
them. Twice. “I don’t know what to tell my insurance company. I don’t even know
if this will be covered, do you?”

Galin didn’t answer her but let her talk. Kala
was on her way with Judith and they’d know what to do. Or he hoped they would. As
she continued to pace the kitchen, Galin went to the stove and put on a pot of
water. Tea, she needed tea. And to be honest, so did he.

He was busy pulling cups from her cabinet
when he thought of her being beneath him. Galin had touched a human before, of
course, but he’d never had one beneath him. His cock still ached and his body felt
strung on a wire. He looked at Riss, thinking to ask him, but he was staring at
him and Galin flushed.

“She is upset.” Galin nodded and put a cup of
the freshly brewed tea on the table and pulled her into a chair as Riss spoke
again. “She has not asked what we are doing here or what happened that we
needed to protect them from. I worry for her wellbeing.”

“She’ll be okay.” He didn’t know who he was
trying to convince, him or Riss, but he sat with her when she stared at the
cup. “Dusty, you have to drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”

“Someone tried to kill us.” She looked up at him
and he stared into the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. “I may be
losing it, but I can hear you both just fine. And don’t think I didn’t see
those wings, either. I did. I’m just trying my best not to freak the fuck out. I
think I’m doing very well, too. This has been…I wonder what tomorrow will
bring.” The burst of laughter had him cringe. Dusty wasn’t well, he could see
that now.

She picked up the cup and took it slowly to
her mouth. Her hand was shaking so badly that Galin thought she’d burn herself the
way the tea was splashing everywhere. After taking a sip, she sat the cup into
the saucer gently and looked at him. She asked him, very politely, who he was
and what he was doing there.

“My name is Galin. I’m Kip’s protector. You
met Jacob last night.” He’d been trying to reach the man since they realized
they were all fine, but he’d not been there. They were coming up empty on
locating him. “You’re not going to freak out, please. I need you to remain calm
so that I might explain everything to you. All right?”

“I need to have my head examined is what I
need.” She took another sip of tea. “If I ever have some goons shooting at me
again and you brew some tea for me, there’s a bottle of bourbon in the cabinet
over the fridge, and I don’t take sugar.”

He nodded and smiled. “I will remember. Are
you hurt? I’ve tried to check you several times but you slapped me away. I
thought if you were truly hurt you’d either faint again or you’d pass out from
blood loss. I can’t see any blood but you could be hurt. I don’t know a great
deal about human women, but I know that loss of blood is dangerous.”

“I’m fine. And no, I’m not bleeding, not from
a gunshot wound anyway. My heart is hurting so badly, however, that I’m sure it
bleeds all the time.” She looked at Kip. “Did you put him into some sort of
trance or something? He’s scary quiet right now.”

“It’s called a veil, a sort of out-of-body
sleep. Riss did it to help him calm. In a bit I’ll have him take him out of it.
He’ll be better for the time to have his mind rest.” Riss smiled at her when
she looked over at him and Galin decided she was as calm as she was going to
get. “This is Riss. He is a Mystic. You met his wife today, Kala. She is
expecting his child. Agon, Judith’s husband, will be here soon. He’s putting a
protection on your home that will keep you safe even when we are here with you.”

“Should have done that sooner, I’m thinking. It
might have saved me a ton of money.” She got up, poured the tea in the sink,
and pulled down the bottle of liquor. “I know that it’s early but I just want a
little.”

She poured about two ounces into her cup before
sitting back down at the table. He watched her, but she sipped it quietly and
he knew that her mind was working out details. When she looked up at him, Galin
felt his heart take an unexpected leap. She was more than beautiful, she was gorgeous.
And the intellect in her eyes made him think that she was handling this a good
deal better than anyone he knew might have.

“I want you to tell me what you know. I know
you are aware of what’s going on, and in order for me to protect Kip, I want
you to tell me.” Galin nodded, then shook his head. “Not very helpful there,
buddy. You either tell me or I find someone who will.”

“I don’t know everything. Very little as a
matter of fact. I know that Kip has been marked by a demi-god by the name of
Markum and that he wants him. What he wants him for, I’m not entirely sure. But
he will take him when he can. We’re working on why Kip, but Boss seems to think
it is because of his anger. Kip has a great deal of anger right now.” She
nodded and took another sip of the bourbon. “You spoke to him, Markum. He
called you and spoke to you about Kip, I’m assuming. Can you tell me what he
said?”

“I’m asking the questions right now. Maybe if
you don’t bullshit me too much, I’ll tell you, but for now, I want answers.”
Galin found himself admiring the woman. She had spunk, he’d give her that. “This
guy that wants Kip, do you think it’s the same guy who shot up my house? And if
so, why not use whatever hocus pocus he used to touch Kip instead of human guns
and stuff?”

The both looked at Riss when he cleared his
throat. “I do not believe it is the same person. This person who came here
today wanted drug money that he feels is owed to him. In his mind your sister
has given you money that was meant for him. He thinks…not very smart of him…but
he believes that you’re simply keeping money that he feels belongs to him. Markum
has no use for either money or drugs. I believe it to be two separate entities.”

Dusty smiled at him and Galin found himself
wanting to reach for her. He curled his fingers under his leg to keep himself
from doing what he wanted. She nodded toward Riss.

“Does he always talk like he’s just come out
of a novel? I mean, he could be an English teacher or something.” Galin laughed
when Riss snorted. “He even snorts all proper and English-like.”

“Riss is my friend, but he is a little on the
stiff side.” Galin looked at Riss and smiled. “I’ve been telling him for
decades that he needs to loosen up more, but the harder I try to make him talk
like a human, the more he resists. I think he’s destined to be proper and
staid. But he is the kindest, most gentle man I know, and will protect you with
his life if need be.” Riss bowed before them both, bending at the waist and
putting out his hand like in a Victorian novel as Dusty had said.

“Decades?” Galin kept an eye on her as she
got up again and poured the rest of her drink into the sink. “I’m…what are you?
I know you said protectors and Mystics, whatever that is, but truly, what the
hell are you?”

“Protector of those that need me. A magical
creature that will watch over, care for, and sometimes guide a person in the
correct pathway.” She nodded and he stood up slowly. “I’ve been assigned to
watch over Kip for the rest of his life. I am his protector for all time.”

“I have one too.” Galin nodded and kept
walking toward her as she stood there staring at him. “You’re not going to…am I
going to die? Soon? Is that why you’re here?”

“No. Not that I’m aware of.” She backed into
the counter behind her and Galin took the last step to her. “I have a need to
touch you. I don’t know why this is happening but I want to touch your bare
skin. To feel if it is as soft and silky as it looks. To taste it, to see if it
tastes like the flowers in the spring.”

“I think I’d like that too.” He ran his
fingers down her cheek and felt the heat of her skin as he touched her. Moving
his fingers just a little lower, he touched her pounding pulse at her throat
and leaned down to taste her there. As soon as his mouth touched her skin,
Galin nipped hard at her throat and heard her moan. Lifting his head, he looked
down at her. Her eyes were glazed, darker in color now. Her hot breaths fanned
over his face as he watched her. When she licked her lips, running her moist
tongue over them, Galin had an overwhelming urge to follow the same path and
touch his to hers.

“I should very much like to kiss you.” She
nodded and tilted her head just a little. Galin lowered his mouth to hers and
brushed it gently over her lips. As soon as he started to rise she ran her
tongue over her lips again and he watched her moisten them. Galin lowered his
head again and took her mouth.

He’d seen people kiss before. Couples leaving
for the day would peck each other on the mouth or cheek and then turn to go.
Galin had seen lovers kiss as well, passion running high as they devoured one
another. But this was different; this was…this was delicious, amazing, and he
wanted more.

Galin?
He heard his name in his mind but wanted to
ignore it in favor of the woman in his arms.
Galin, you are going to have to
let her go. Kala and Judith are here.

I don’t care.
He didn’t either,
and lifted Dusty up and sat her on the counter.
You go away too. I like
this.

She is not yours to take.
Galin frowned at the
second voice in his head.
Galin, let her go. She is not yours to take. You
cannot have her now, she is…there is no way for you to claim this woman now.

He looked down at Dusty when Boss told him to
back away. It was the most difficult thing he’d ever done, but he did it. When
he was five feet from her, Dusty looked at him, dazed, then jumped off the
counter and walked up to him. The slap was less than he deserved, and he didn’t
try to stop her when she left the room.

“You are going to have to explain yourself.” He
nodded at Riss as he opened the door for his wife and Judith. “Not just to Boss
either.”

Galin knew that as well. He’d just broken one
of the laws of his kind. But the problem as he saw it right now wasn’t so much
that he’d broken the law, but that he wanted to find her and break a few more. Instead,
he lifted the veil off Kip and sat down with him. It was going to be a very
long day.

Chapter 4

Markum moved from the room and into the next
without touching the floor. He enjoyed floating now that he had mastered it,
and did it whenever he could. Even in his own cell. Just as he was ready to
enter the hallway, someone stepped in front of him. He bowed before the man and
stared at his bared feet.

“You smell of humans.” Markum didn’t even
bother trying to deny it. He knew he did and loved the fact that someone had
noticed. “I thought you were forbidden to go there until you were told you
could. There will be hell to pay for this.”

“I have found him.” The being in front of him
said nothing. Markum took that as a good sign and continued explaining. “The
child that would help us in the other world. I have found him. He even bears my
mark.”

Or he did
, Markum thought. Until someone had
taken it from him. It was why he’d been to earth again today, trying to find
the child before someone else did. But his mark that would call for him was no
longer strong enough for him to summon the child.

“And this child you have found, what makes
you think he is any different than the other dozen or so you have said was him?
Have you a second sight, Markum? Do you possess a skill that none of the rest
of us have?” Markum actually thought he had a great many skills that others didn’t
but said nothing. It had done him no good before, and he doubted that he’d be
any more receptive this time. “I want to know what you think this child has
that the others did not.”

“He has an anger that boils from him. His
hatred of people, all humans, is stronger than any I’ve come across before. And
when I touched him, his leg, when he spoke with me, I could feel the connection
immediately.” Markum was jerked from his position and lifted two feet from the
floor as the being held him with his hand at his throat. “I only marked him for
you, my lord. So that he would be claimed by you.”

“You dared to touch a human? A human child
without permission?” He was tossed across the room. “You have violated our pact
laws. You have taken what did not belong to us.”

“His protector was gone. He wasn’t with him
when I found him.” Which was true. Markum had imprisoned him days ago. Just
after that upstart from the Mystic’s had embarrassed him. “I have made sure
that no other protector has taken him in. He is yours, as I have said.”

“You lie.” Markum started to stand but didn’t
need to when he was lifted up again. “You smell of…you have murdered a human,
too?”

“I have.” There was no point in denying it.
He was sure that he smelled of the man that had dared to shoot holes into the
home of his child. And for that matter, Markum wasn’t sure why no one had asked
him before. “He fought a good fight, but I am much his superior. Was much his
superior.”

“You fool.” He was tossed away again, but
this time leapt up before he could be touched again. As soon as the being tried
to grab him, Markum lashed out with so much heat that he cut deeply into the
fool. The second time he came for him, Markum hit him again, this time nearly
severing his neck. Weak now, the being staggered toward him, but Markum had had
enough. This time when he put up his hands in anger, he cut him in half and
watched as he turned to dark ash. Markum was dancing around down the hall when
he felt himself being summoned. Christ, he’d just killed an underlord, and one
of good standing.

As soon as he entered the large chamber,
Markum dropped to his knees. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that he’d been
called there to be congratulated. The being, the thing he’d just killed, worked
for this man. And this man was one to be afraid of. As soon as he was only
three feet from the man in the throne, crawling on his belly, he laid on the
hot stone floor and spread his dark wings open.

“You have been busy, haven’t you?” Markum
cringed at the thunder in his voice but knew better than to answer without
permission. “The being I sent for you has been murdered. Do you know what has
happened? I’m feeling the loss of him just as if someone had killed him.
Severed his bond with me without as much as a question to me as to my plans for
him. You will answer me, Markum. I’m in no mood to fuck with one such as you.”

“I have killed him, sire. Cut him with my
magic, as I’m sure you are aware. But he accused me of things that were not
true.” Markum was told to sit up but he didn’t stand. There was no permission
given for that as yet. “He attacked me first, my lord, and when he did, it was
all I could do to defend myself. He is dead because I’m a better man than him.”

“You think so?” Markum nodded and the man
laughed. “I don’t believe you are much more than the shit beneath your own
shoes, Markum. And I think if you thought about it hard enough you’d see I was
right. You have murdered in my own world as well as the other. There are rules
that must be upheld concerning the killing of others, even in our world. You
will be required to pay for such deeds.”

“Yes, my lord. I am aware of the laws. But I
should let him kill me without defending myself?” The man said nothing and
leaned back in his chair. Markum smiled. “I have found the child, sire. He is
born.”

“He is? Like the other times? Or is this one
really it? As you have said to others countless times before, what makes this
one so special?” Markum was startled out of his thoughts when his lordship
spoke. “Yes, I know of your claims. This is what, the tenth, eleventh child you
have found in the past decade? I grow tired of your findings. What of this one?
You may answer.”

“He has a fire like the ones that burn below
us. His hatred is profound and he is without a protector.” His lordship leaned
forward and Markum forgot himself, so caught up in his attention. Standing up,
he started to pace as he explained why this one was different. “This child not
only has no protector, but the one that cares for him, another human, has the
same anger burning in her. She is a woman who would die to protect the child,
but it will matter little once I have convinced her to let me have him. And she
will. She hates him as much as he does her. He is the one.”

His feet were knocked from him as he made the
turn to pace along the room. Markum nearly turned and attacked the person who
would dare touch him when he realized who had hit him. His lordship was
standing with a large blade in his hands, holding it at the ready. Markum
dropped back down and spread out. He was going to die, he knew it. He’d gone
too far this time.

“When in my presence you will not pretend you
are on the same level as me. You are nothing.” Markum seethed with anger as the
man poked him in the back with the long blade over and over. When he stopped,
Markum felt rather than saw the men come from behind him and lift him by his
arms. His lordship opened his robe and freed his cock.

There were no words spoken as Markum took his
cock into his mouth. It was thick and hot and Markum knew better than to turn
away. He took each hard stroke down his throat as the man fucked him as hard as
he could. When he came, spilling his seed on his face rather than down his
throat, Markum cried out, knowing that he was being burned for his insolence. And
the scar of it would be there for all to see, for them to know that he had
angered this man.

“You will come here daily to let me mark you,
Markum. And if I tire of you, there will be others that you will fuck for me.” The
guard that held him reached down and rubbed his cock to show Markum he would be
the one he’d fuck. “I think…yes, I have decided to let one of them have you
while I watch today. That way when you think you are better than me, you’ll
remember what will happen to you when you do.”

His pants were ripped from him as the second guard
held him bent over. As soon as his ass was filled, Markum cried out and had his
mouth filled with the second guards cock. He was being fucked at both ends as
his lordship watched. Pain was over him, his body seemed to be a festering pool
of it. Yet they never stopped, only replacing one cock in his body for someone
else’s when that guard was spent.

A woman came from the shadows and moved in
front of his lordship, took his cock into her mouth, and sucked him while
Markum was being fucked. As soon as the man at his ass came, he grabbed
Markum’s cock from beneath and fisted him until he was hard as stone. The third
or fourth guard—he’d long since lost count—came down his throat a few seconds
later, not burning him but filling his belly with a vile nasty virus. As he
laid there, filled with the poisonous cum, the man who had sentenced him pulled
his cock free of the woman’s mouth and spilled his seed on his chest and legs. Markum
cried out with pain. He knew that before this punishment was over, he was going
to be as ugly as the men who had held him down.

As he staggered his way back to his cell, he
tried to think about what he’d do to each of the men who had violated him. It
wasn’t as if Markum had never had a man before, but he liked to choose his own
partners and not to have them make him ill after. He vomited his belly clean of
the poison and then entered his own shower to clean the rest off him. If that
were even possible.

His body was an open sore, and it would be
forever if he didn’t find a way to redeem himself. The thought of having this
done to him daily for all eternity made Markum want to go and find them all and
kill them. But he couldn’t and they knew it. His only hope was to find the
child and bring him down here so that all could see what he’d already
discovered. The child that would bring glory to them all had been born.

 It was nearly dawn when he finally fell into
a fitful sleep, the pain making it difficult for him to find even one
comfortable position. But he dreamed of his redemption. Of the time when they
would all bow before him. Markum just had to wait for the right time to make it
so.

~~~

Dusty eyed the man as he sat quietly at her
table. The rest of them were talking a mile a minute and shoving food at her
every time they moved by her. She looked at Kip, who had not said a word since
the two women had gotten there.

“You should try to eat something.” She got up
and pulled the case of candy bars she’d gotten for him today out of the
cabinet. “I don’t like that this is all you eat, but right now it’s better than
nothing.”

Kip took one of the candy bars and held it in
his hand. He looked like he was in shock, and Dusty found she didn’t blame him.
There was a shit ton of stuff being thrown at them both, and they still had
their own shit to deal with. She looked at Galin and felt her face heat again.

She’d nearly let him take her on the counter.
And the other man was there to see them do it. Every time she thought of his
mouth on hers, she wanted to put her fingers over her lips to see if they felt
as hot as they had when he’d kissed her. She looked at him again, and when he
winked she felt her face heat more.

You’re very pretty when you do that. I have never
seen a woman blush as much as you do. It makes me wonder what you would be doing
had we made love on the counter.
Dusty looked at Kip and them back at the man
when he laughed.
He cannot hear me. You can because I wish for you to. But
no one else knows how much I would like to sit you on the counter again and
taste the rest of your skin. Do you suppose all of you would taste that delicious?
I wonder.

You should behave yourself. And no…I mean, I
don’t know if I taste that way. But you’re not going to get to find out.
Dusty realized she
was speaking to him the way he had her.
Why can I talk to you this way? I’ve
never been able to do that before.

I would imagine it is because you are going
to be my wife, and that is the way of things with our kind.
She looked at him,
shaking her head.
I don’t want it either and I’m trying to figure out how
this came to pass. It was tricky of Him, I’ll give Him that, but still…. And we
might have to try something else if we’re to get out of this without having
sex. But I have to say, even kissing you brings all manner of thoughts to my
mind. All of them have us both naked.

What do you mean, “He was tricky”? Who?
She looked in the
direction he nodded and saw Boss, ignoring his comment about them being naked.
She looked back to Galin.
You think He planned for you to take me on the…for
you to kiss me like….

I believe when He told me I was to protect
the boy it was to put me in your sights. I don’t care for His tactics, but
nothing more is going to come of it. Not if we’re careful. I think we should
work together until we have figured this out.

You keep saying that. Figure what out? Because
I’m not going to marry you. Not for all the money in the world.
She felt his laughter
and she wanted to hit him.
You listen here, buddy, right now I’m hard
pressed not to get up and bash your head in. If I had to marry you, you’d not
make it to the end of the day.

I’m immortal. You will be as well if we were
ever to give in to our desires and have sex. But that isn’t going to happen. At
least I hope not. Actually, I do want it to happen, but not enough to wed you.
I’ve no desire to have a wife.
Dusty felt her anger build up and it didn’t
help when he laughed again.
You are simply lovely when you are fired up.