Kassern (Archangels Creed) (4 page)

There was nothing unholy about a black cat. Or any other object used for sin.

Troy stood in the dripping silence, in his stupidity for a few seconds. How had he slipped into that ignorance? That stigma?

The scent on the panties was no more sinful than the pussy cat.

He froze in horror and bit his lip. Did he just use that
filthy
term? My God! Maybe hanging on those
street
corners was rubbing off on him slowly? Maybe he was becoming subconsciously desensitized by the seducing spirits there
?

Troy grasped logic once more. The bottom line hadn
'
t changed, vulgar terminology or not. Vaginas were good, not evil. Babies came from them—life. So everything about them was wholesome and good.

His mind suddenly remembered. The dream. Oh God!

He turned the shower on full force and jumped under the ice cold spray. But it was too late. His body made the connection and responded.

The scent in the panties was the exact same from the dream! He
'
d never been so painfully aroused in his life. Oh
God
it was
intoxicating!

It
'
s not a sin. It
'
s not a sin. It
'
s not a sin.

He held himself in an attempt to stop his male organ from growing. He gasped at the sensation his touch brought, and like a needle being plunged into his arm, his eyes rolled in his head as pleasure raced its toxin into his body.

It
'
s not a sin…it
'
s not a sin…it
'
s not a sin…

He couldn
'
t stop himself as he stroked to the tune, heat building like a tsunami of lava. The looming ecstasy drove all thoughts away, leaving only that amazing feeling he
'
d had in that dream. He was between her legs again. God yes, tasting her and smelling her, then devouring. She was sweet and salty. Her moans were angelic. And her pleasure was what he was born to bring, her cries in climax.

For the first time in his life, he broke the commitment he
'
d made to himself…to God. To never indulge in what caused men to become depraved enough to exploit women. But as his moans of awe and raw lust filled the shower in orgasm, he knew. It was all part of another lying stigma.

Pleasure wasn
'
t bad.
E
xploiting women
, anyone,
for
pleasure was the true evil.

God, he
'
d never do that.

****

Regretfully, Devyn shut the water off before it could get too cold. Maybe someday she and Karly would have a place where they could spend more than five minutes each in the shower and still have plenty of hot water. That wouldn't happen on their current path, though.

She dried off
,
then
wrapped the threadbare towel around her hair. Rather than look like a stripper headed to work, she would wait until she reached the Castle to do her hair and makeup. For the moment, just clean and dry was sufficient.

An unfamiliar metallic glint caught her eye as she passed the
spotted and blackened old
mirror over the sink. Fear froze her rigid
as she stared at the
deep glow of gold at her throat
.
The crucifix. She held on to the sink, feeling dizzy, replaying how she
'
d stashed it in the box
where
she kept her panties and
extra
bra.

Was she sleepwalking? Obviously she had to be. Necklaces didn
'
t walk themselves out of boxes and attach themselves to people
'
s necks. The urge to rip it off warred with her need to have it. If so many damn horror movies didn
'
t involve crucifixes with
unreliable
power that seemed to only piss off shit that shouldn
'
t exist, maybe she wouldn
'
t be freaking the fuck out.

She
'
d been having bad dreams. Maybe she did
put the crucifix on while she slept, since wearing it
seemed to calm her.   

She
fought the hesitation
,
took it off again and dropped it on the
shelf
. The flat gold chain with its broad links, and the heavy gold crucifix wouldn't go well with her G-String and tear-away bra.

Refusing to allow the damn crucifix back into her mind, she turned to more important topics.
  Devyn wanted to have a serious talk with Karly
while they were both calm and awake
. She headed to the kitchen after dressing, planning to do just that over breakfast. Ransacking
the single, nearly bare, food cupboard in
their little kitchen, Devyn began converting
the odds and ends she found into something edible
. Stale hot-dog buns
and the single outdated egg
became French
t
oast, chocolate syrup the new maple. Half dried out spam would play the part of bacon or sausage
.

In the mood to splurge, she dumped the old coffee grounds, instead of just adding a new scoop, and started out fresh. Devyn looked around her. Everything in their lives was make-shift-shit.
Damn!
So fucking tired of pinching every single penny until it screamed!
Just once, she'd like to cook an entire meal, without having to substitute cheap scraps for ingredients.

She slid the sad little chunks of French toast and fried cholesterol onto a cracked plate as Karly shuffled into the kitchenette and sank into her usual chair. Avoiding looking too closely at Karly's delicate features, still puffy from crying, Devyn took her own seat, passing a steaming mug across the table's warped surface.

Karly sipped automatically, then her eyes widened with surprise. "What's the occasion? We haven't had full-strength coffee in ages!"

How direct should she be? "Well, you're still here to drink it with me, for one." Devyn took a sip from her own mug.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that. It won't happen again." The careful
control
of the expression on her pale, heart-shaped face told Devyn exactly how much Karly wanted to avoid the subject of her suicide attempt.
She'd prefer it forgotten.

Devyn shook her head. "Uh-uh. Not good enough. Look, I know things aren't easy. They never have been. But some things are… well, more difficult than they need to be." Shit, that sounded real wise.
Like some of the idiots that worked for social services they'd always made fun of. The ones who thought
skimping on dental floss was true hardship.
She chewed her lip. "What I mean is
,
I think you should make some changes. I'm scared for you, and not just because of what you might do to yourself." There. She'd opened the door.

Tears gathered, making Karly's pale blue eyes shimmer. She took a breath, as if to speak, but stayed silent.

"Karly, exactly what's the deal with you and Jake?" Just saying the bastard's name almost gagged her. "Why are you with such a low life? You deserve better."

Anger flared, flushing Karly's pale cheeks. "What are you talking about? None of this is Jake's fault. He loves me. He wants to help us both."

Karly's long-term boyfriend gave Devyn the creeps. He wasn't just dangerous, he was sneaky about it. And he resented the closeness between Devyn and Karly. "Baby, you know better than that." She took a deep breath. Hopefully what she was about to say wouldn't cost her the only real friend she had in the world. "He's using you. He hits you. We both have seen the same thing happen to other girls. He'll be turning you out, next thing you know."

Karly's face wilted with pain and the tears finally spilled over. "You're just jealous." Her tiny words barely squeaked out, colored with pain where conviction should be.

Devyn wanted to
puke
from agony. Karly wasn
'
t just repeating the lie branded into her mind, but her tormented expression confirmed the worst. "He already has, hasn't he?"

Mute
despair
filled Karly's face. Devyn went to her, kneeling and pulling Karly into her arms. God, she wanted to kill that fucker!

Karly shook her head. "That isn't why I tried to kill myself. I can handle anything he does to me."

Devyn pulled back a little, her mind racing for other clues that would push her best friend over the edge that way. "Then what?"

"He… uh…
"
She swallowed and half nodded her head as though convincing
herself
that telling was the right thing.
"
He wanted me to bring you in." Karly stood abruptly, trying to wipe tears without ruining her makeup. "He knows someone who wants to buy you. He tried to make me convince you…"

The cold lump in Devyn's stomach threatened to come up. How much did Karly know about what she'd done to keep a roof over their heads while Karly was laid up?
Had she really paid closer attention since getting clean?

"He said you were already whoring, he should get a cut." The devastation in Karly's eyes when she looked up nearly broke Devyn's heart. "I didn't believe it at first. But I paid attention. It didn't take long to figure out. It's the only way you could keep the rent paid and food on the table while I couldn't work." Karly's arms went around her waist, hugging herself tight. "How could you keep that from me, Devyn?"

Fuck. "It was only a few times. I
was too ashamed to
tell you." Shame burned Devyn's face. "I couldn't have you feel guilty, and I wasn't going to let you take the money Jake offered. That came with strings attached."

"I know. But I can handle it. I've been treated as a whore half my life. At least Jake's willing to give me a little money. You're too good for that. You didn't come from that kind of life. When Jake told me I had to bring you to him, or he would put you in the hospital, I knew I had to end it. If it hadn't been for me and that stupid tubal pregnancy, you never would have had to do that, and Jake wouldn't have gotten the idea."

For a while, Devyn just held Karly
,
both c
r
ying
with the realization they'd crossed that line they'd sworn they never would
. Back when they shared a room in the foster home, just after Devyn's parents were killed, they'd spent hours dreaming of the future. Neither of them had imagined such a nightmare. Devyn shuddered to think just how much worse it could get. Devastating as it was, simple prostitution was nothing compared to the other horrors that awaited young women without a safety net.

When the tears faded, Devyn pushed Karly's curls back from her forehead. "You can't go on like this. You have to end things with him."

Karly nodded. "I'm scared."

"I know. I am, too." Devyn hated admitting to being afraid of any man, but the savage glint in Jake's eyes terrified her. "I'm right here with you, and I won't turn away. We'll get through it together."

"He'll kill us."

"No! He won't." The cold lump of dread settled back in the middle of her chest. He might. "We'll do whatever it takes."

Life in a new city started to look more appealing than frightening. If things got bad enough, nothing held them down. They could go anywhere, do anything.

Chapter Four

God why was he so nervous? He forced eager joy into his smile as he held out a flyer to a passing girl.
"
Hey would you mind—
"

"
Fuck off!
"
Palm to his face.

His smile faltered only to bloom instantly for the next group of girls approaching. They practically snarled at him before he could open his mouth. Was the spiritual barrier he
'
d erected too strong? Not like business
ever boom
ed
for him. He sighed
and
pac
ed
the sidewalk a few feet, watching the crowd slowly grow for the Friday night sin
-
a
-
thon. The way people avoided him, he might as well have worn a sign begging for a million dollars.

He raked a nervous hand through his hair, seeking out the petite brunette with the long ponytail. And fitted jeans. And fitted
T-shirt
. Good Lord! What was he doing dwelling on that woman
'
s physique? Might as well put out a lust call. Troy countered the possibility with a quick prayer.
I bind you Satan from this corner. You will not hinder God
'
s work. You will let me set the captives free, in Jesus name, amen.