Page 104 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

“Great catch.” Dom patted her thigh. “Now that I think about it, those are the same words Michael and Luce used. Not ‘I can’t’ but ‘I don’t.’”

“That’s the kind of shit they all pull,” said Ely. “The OC, Michael, and Luce.”

Maddy grabbed a notebook off the coffee table. She flipped it open in her lap and tapped a pen on a page. “And I make lists. It’s a minor compulsion. See if I’ve got everything. One, an Immortal kidnapped a human on Earth.” She patted her chest. “Me. Two, an Immortal, maybe the kidnapper, brought said-me into Angor. Couldn’t have been a Scourge. Three, somebody gave me to Praevus, along with nice digs and a dismissal from his punishments, most likely Serita. Four, Praevus and Serita are MIA. Five, someone killed an unkillable Scourge, Ike. Six, an asshole ... excuse the language ... gifted me with fangs and ugly wings, but we don’t know who or how.”

Maddy’s shoulders slumped. Seeing all the unanswered questions at once was troubling. “Is the list complete?”

Dom sighed. “Almost. Add seven and eight. The unnatural geological problems in OneWorld and the OC’s health. Also, we don’t know the end game. Is that an item or an aside?”

“The only problem solved is that I’m no longer a Syc. Another aside, I have a really, really big personal question.” Maddy drew a deep breath, her chest expanding. When everyone’s curious gaze fixed on her, she asked, “Now that I’m a Scourge, am I immortal?”

Dom scratched his jaw. “I never thought of that one.” From the group’s puzzled expressions, he wasn’t alone.

Adding another jig-saw piece, Dom shrugged and asked, “Is Maddy really a Scourge? I’ve been thinking about it. Her wings are not entirely like a Scourge’s. Her fangs are tiny.” He glanced at Maddy, a sympathetic look softening his dark eyes. “And she only wants to drink from me. I’d say that makes her ... unusual.”

Ohngel shot a hole in Dom’s positive thinking. “But she can’t get through the gateway. That pretty much says it all.”

They bounced those thoughts around for a while until Dom cleared his throat. “I have something else to say. For centuries, I have been,” he glanced at Remi, “grumpy, distant. But that was wrong. You’re...”

“Assholes?” offered Ely.

Ohngel chuffed, “Better looking?”

Remi crossed his arms over his chest. “More skilled lovers?”

“No,” said Dom. “Friends. Brothers. Family. And I ran from that. Tha...”

“Don’t finish that statement,” said Remi. “We’ll get all teary-eyed and want a group hug or some such shit.”

Indigo shared a glance with Maddy who shook her head. “They’re such men.”

****

Remi didn’t go homeafter leaving Dom’s. Restless, he strolled into his favorite BDSM club in Stupool.

Right now, the evening was young, and the serious shit hadn’t started. After asking around about Praevus, he stood in a corner watching a dominatrix straddle some Scourge, sticking a giant dildo up his ass and proceeding to spank him with a flat board. Though his cheeks were red and most likely painful, he moaned in ecstasy. He enjoyed the action so far, but things would change. Let the guy get his jollies while he could.

The female changed instruments, snagging onto a flogger. Not a nice ribboned, feathery one.Nope. This whip had leather straps ending in metal barbs. Each lash cut deep into the victim’s skin until he oozed blood.

Nonetheless, the guy shimmied his hips to rub his cock on the rough mattress, trying to orgasm. Never gonna happen. That was part of the fun here. Brought to the edge but no jizz.

The dominatrix glanced Remi’s way, her white eyes ablaze. A Rat. Nice. She was in her victim’s head, convincing him he’d blow his nut if she just kept up the punishment.

She shooed her victim away and sashayed over to Remi’s corner, giving him a come-hither. She was naked except for thigh-high, ankle-breaking black boots, gartered stockings, and chains crisscrossing her chest. Her pussy was shaved.

“How about I show you a good time?” She pointed to a contraption with chains.

A little bondage play might be welcome.Yeah. Face it, he was a bit depraved. Or a whole lot depraved, depending on perspective. Remi found that it took more and more stimuli to get him off. He only orgasmed when pain was involved. Lots of pain.

But duty before pleasure. Right now, he was on the job. So, to avoid taking the dominatrix up on her offer, he asked, “Seen Praevus?”

When she said, “No,” he sauntered toward the door no wiser than when he’d arrived.

Action on his left caught his attention. A female Flesh Eater was chained to a contraption that held her legs spread wide, her arms overhead. She wore nipple and clit clamps. When a male applied a cane to her back, she cried for more.

Her punisher dropped a hand to the front of his pants to diddle his bulging dick.

Damn.

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