Darker Angels

Tazzy: Yes, Esther talked Ion into going to the club. I actually like Alessandro and think he could be a good leader given the opportunity and without all the negative influences.

DarkCrusnikMagician: Glad you liked the chapter. I have plans for Pope-boy. Evil laughter. Yes, Esther in the anime is possibly the most annoying creature on the planet.

KaieAithne: Sorry about the confusion but I’m very happy that you’re enjoying the story.

Miss Murder: You love falling for anime boys and you know it. Feel free to ask about anything that pops into your brain about things. I don’t profess to know all the answers but I can at least try. The Esther punishment will have to wait. Er, something else took over in my noggin and demanded to be written. *sweatdrop* You guys do realize that my alleged scenes of smut are not that great, right?



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“It’s . . . beautiful,” Alessandro breathed in awe, staring at the standing stones whitewashed by the moonlight.



“Yes. It certainly is,” Blaze said, starting to walk toward the stones.



Within a few minutes they were standing within the heart of the circle with Alessandro turning slowly trying to grasp the magnitude of the place.



“I thought I’d be uncomfortable here. But it feels so . . . peaceful. Like I’m being protected and loved.”



Blaze smiled. “It’s funny; I feel the same way whenever I go into Westminster Abbey in London. Londinium, now.” At his odd look, she laughed. “I know, you’d expect the whole place to cave in on my head, right?”



“No,” he said evasively. “Yes. I would have. But I don’t think things are really what I believed.”



“Things are rarely what they seem on the surface, dear.”



“I understand why you’re bringing Father Nightroad here.”



“I’m not so sure you do, sweetheart,” Blaze said, smiling at him indulgently as he managed to sit down on the center altar stone.



“Huh?”



“This is not the place for ceremonies involving life, it’s the place to celebrate a life that has been. Final rites for the dead have been held here for centuries. Ceremonies started at Woodhenge, which is where celebrations of a life beginning were held, at dawn and progressed either by water via the river or over land. Usually took most of the day so by the time the procession got here it was close to sunset.”



“Then why . . . Oh, I understand! You’re doing it in reverse. Instead of taking Father Nightroad for his funeral rites you’re bringing him back into life. Metaphorically at any rate. Is that right?”



“Exactly right. You’re far more perceptive than most people give you credit for,” she said.



His face fell a little and he turned his head slightly into his shoulder. “How can I be perceptive when I’m so confused all the time?” he said, sounding mournful. “I don’t understand most of what the Cardinals want me to do. I don’t understand why there’s so much hate between the Terrans and Methuselah. I don’t understand why we fight all the time. I feel like I’m being pulled in a million directions at once and I still don’t have any control over my own life.”



“Oh, sweetheart,” she said, hugging him and kissing the top of his head. “I remember exactly how that feels.”



He looked at her oddly. “But you’re so together.”



“That comes from thousands of years of experience, dear. I certainly didn’t have that when I was dubbed a high priestess all those millennia ago.”



“How old were you?”



“Hmm. Let me think. I’m not really certain because we didn’t have much of a time keeping system then. Probably around six winters or so. I was absolutely terrified even though my mother was the one training me. It was so intimidating and so bizarre to have all of these adults looking to me for answers when I didn’t really understand the questions.”



“I know. It makes me feel like an idiot most of the time.”



“You aren’t. You’re just someone who’s extremely young who has very heavy responsibilities. Listen to me, darling, and if you never believe another word I say, believe this. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”







Esther and Ion paused not more than a few steps into the club, trying to shake off the shock after their eyes had adjusted to the near dark. The only real light in the club was coming from the stage at the far end and wasn’t enough to illuminate it properly. Brief flashes of white and purple lit various areas but only for a scant few seconds, leaving everyone temporarily blinded. Ion was grateful that Esther had talked him into wearing earplugs because the loud music would have given him a headache instantly. He pointed to one of the empty tables at the corner of the room and they made their way through the mass of writhing bodies to it.







//Hunt, I think most of the really interesting information is probably downstairs.//



//You’re probably right. Want me and Leon to go check things out down there while you and the bot boy snoop around up here?//



//Sounds like a plan.//



“Why don’t you two go play downstairs? Just remember to come back here in about an hour or so. I don’t want you straying for too long,” Takara said. She lifted her feet off of Leon so he could get up; she was currently sitting on Tres, who didn’t seem as though he minded being used as a chair. “Tres, let’s go see if anything interesting is happening in the scene rooms.”



“If that is your wish, Princess,” Tres said. Takara resolved to ask him later about how he knew the perfect comportment of a slave without her telling him. Though she was certain he had picked up much by just being in the club or had probably downloaded much of the information.



In the far corner of the room the slave who had shown them around the club heard her name quietly called from behind her.



“Ann.”



“Yes, Master?”



“There are two children downstairs who obviously do not belong here. Have the staff watch them closely. If there are any problems they are to be brought to me for punishment.”



Ann shivered a little. “Yes, Master. Your will shall be done.”



“That’s my girl.”





Takara and Tres made their way into one of the private scene areas of the club, which turned out to be a small enclosed room looking into a larger one through what Takara presumed was one way glass.



“Well, this is cozy,” Tres remarked, sitting down in the chair facing the scene. “What’s so amusing?” he asked when she laughed.



“I never thought I’d hear the word “cozy” come out of your mouth.”



One eyebrow lifted fractionally. “You may yet hear things out of my mouth you never thought you would.”



She grinned a little at him then became serious. “You really can’t hear anything going on outside this room.”



“It’s soundproof. That’s hardly surprising considering the level of privacy this club embraces.”



“No, not surprising. But it does make it difficult to hear conversations, even with sensitive hearing.”



“Princess, do you really think we’ll get anything of importance up here? Planning of that nature is more likely to be discovered downstairs by Hunter and Leon.”



“Which is why I sent them downstairs,” she said, putting her hand on the doorknob and preparing to leave.



“Won’t it look suspicious if we leave so soon after coming in here? I believe you told the young lady who gave us the tour that you were interested in this kind of scene,” he said, nodding toward the scene taking place on the other side of the glass.



“You’re right,” she said with a heavy sigh, leaning against the wall of the small room.



“Are you going to sit down?”



“There’s only one chair and you’re in it.”



“You’ve been sitting on me for the last hour, three minutes and twelve seconds, I see no reason to forego continuing to do so.”



She laughed and came around the chair to sit in his lap. “You just wanted me to sit on you lap instead of on your back,” she teased.



“Princess, I’m happy to have certain body parts of yours come into contact with certain body parts of mine regardless of circumstance.”



He grinned as she playfully slapped at him then turned around to watch the scene. Tres abandoned watching the scene on the other side of the glass for the scene going on in the chair with him. It was entertaining and thoroughly distracting to have her squirming in his lap. Well, at least he knew certain hydraulics worked.



She had been watching the scene for a few minutes and admiring the whip work of the Domme doing the scene when she felt Tres move her hair and place a kiss on her bare shoulder.



“Tres, what are you up to?”



“Twenty four point nine centimeters.”



She snorted back a laugh. “You measured it, didn’t you?”



“It was a moment of idle curiosity. However, back to what I was doing. I was merely finding more things that please you, Princess.”



“Really? What are your findings so far and how can you tell if I’m pleased?”



“It pleases you to be sitting in my lap. I know this because your temperature went up .02 degrees as you sat down. As you’ve been watching the scene progress, it went up another .04 degrees.”



“Interesting. What else?”



“This,” he said, running his tongue in a slow lick from the base of her neck to her ear. “Makes your temperature go up a full degree.”



“Gods, no wonder. It’s hardly fair though considering I can’t gauge how things like that effect you by monitoring body temperature.”



“I’m sure you’ll think of something, Princess,” he said, sliding one hand into her hair and leaning forward for a kiss.



**Make me electric

Set me on fire

Rattle my bones

Take me wire to wire

Never knew nothin’ quite like this.*



What had started out as an exploratory kiss rapidly became something completely different involving tongues and teeth. When Takara had to come up for air Tres began planting kisses down one side of her neck. He paused for a moment when coming to the bite scar, clamping down hard on the inexplicable urge to sink his own teeth into the same spot. She shivered a little as she felt his lips ghost over the mark. It had felt like a very bizarre déjà vu moment.



She worked the straps running down the front of his shirt free finally exposing bare skin, or outer casing as it was, to her questing fingers. He gasped and arched into her touch.



“I *like* that simulation of life chip.”



“Not as much as I do, Princess,” he said.



“Tres, if we don’t stop soon this is going to turn into a Q & D and I’m not sure if you want that.”



“Q & D?”



“Quick and dirty.”



“Why would this be a problem? Are you wearing panties?”



“No.”



“Excellent,” he said, standing up. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist and she found herself slammed into one of the walls. “Sorry, Princess. Are you all right?”



“You won’t break me, Tres. I’m more worried about the wall.”



“The wall can fend for itself.”





************Author’s Notes**********



Um, sorry about that. I still have issues with writing things like this.



The song used in this chapter is Vampire Kiss by Baton Rouge. It was used completely without permission.