Page 25 of The Vampire's Thirst
Rule two. Keep occupied.After setting her cup on the old, scratched coffee table, she lit a fire and pulled out a new volume ofThe Path: Words of the Warrior Ohngel.
She and Jace had read about the famous warlock who pieced together the Blood Coven and whipped up a few realms so humans could survive without the savage Aeternals using them as dessert. Another volume recorded how Niviane screwed the guy over by sending their daughter to Scath. The third was about the creation of the Aeternals. Now what?
Weary from a lengthy truth-seeking journey, I, the Cambion from Wales, rested beside a late evening fire after finishing a meager repast. A nightchat flew from the trees, singing. The warbler-like bird trilled, chirped, and whistled, its raspy notes a message from Ohngel, the fire-winged assassin of the OneCreator, the male I would deem prophet and friend in the coming years.
Oft thereafter, Ohngel or the prophet-warrior’s emissary, the nightchat, emerged from the thickets to tell a tale of hope, courage, caution, or enlightenment for the Aeternals placed upon this world by the Genitrix Gahya.
She skimmed the descriptions of previous volumes, concentrating on the new book.
As I wrote by candlelight in a large dim chamber of the cave, Ohngel, my enigmatic mentor, ventured inside. He was a male who painted himself not only as an assassin with an easy conscience but also as a grudging rescuer. Tonight, he told a tale of The Fall, an event oft pondered among Aeternals.That story and the rise of Homo sapiens formed the substance ofVolume IV: The Fall and Rise.
Celene glanced at the wall. No longer allowed outside for exercise and with no windows, she relied on the clock to tell her the passing hours and days. Having no idea whether it was accurate, she chose to believe it was 9:30 in the morning. She planned to read for another hour before showering, dressing, and dwelling on her lonely existence.
With her legs curled beneath her on the couch, Celene wondered if, wherever Jace landed, she was also readingThe Path. The thought giving her solace, she returned to the book.
Though millennia had passed, Ohngel continued to have an unhealthy obsession with Gahya’s Aeternals. At least, that’s how he saw it.
Sated after a thorough fucking, he turned on his side toward the Genitrix, broaching a subject which was beginning to bore even him. “They grow more savage.”
“Can you not rest in the glow of our pleasure? Why must you always talk of my creatures?” She sat up, pointing toward Earth.
Ohngel looked below to see a male demon laugh, his fiery beast assuaged, having fed on his companion’s orgasm.
Gahya fluffed her golden, wavy hair. “His female sighs with contentment. Would that I could do the same without your nattering on about my creations. All is good.”
“What is good is not necessarily right.”
“Why are you so opposed to my sharing carnal knowledge? It frees us from the boredom of eternity. I gave my Aeternals an extraordinary way to nourish their bodies. I gave them desire. I made them for us, my love. They are perfect, without faults.” She scattered the leaves around her with an angry hand, her thighs wet from his release.
Ohngel relaxed despite her show of temper, hands behind his head, his still erect penis twitching against his belly, his need never fully sated. “Be honest with yourself, Gahya. You created them because you could. You thrive on the pride of ownership. But it will be a shame if they are destroyed because of your hubris.”
Tears threatened to escape her eyes. “Why can you not revel in my accomplishments?”
“I appreciate your achievement. In fact, I admire your Aeternals. They are sentient beings with hopes, fears, and dreams. They are creatures of will. I see how they love life. But monitor their paths, teach them. Do not simply give them the desire of the gods and set them adrift. Their aggression will destroy them. Give them courage, honor, and loyalty to temper their passions. They are capable of greatness.”
Ohngel began to recognize he possessed an irritating protective streak. He did not know where it came from or when it would lift its unwelcome head. Fight as he might, he could not rid himself of it. It peeked over his shoulder, tugging on an earlobe, demanding to be heard. Yes. Irritating.
The Genitrix sniffled. “You do me an injustice, Ohngel. I teach them what I choose. They are satisfied.” Her chin jutted out with stubborn pride.
The male and female demon continued to lie side by side, exhausted. The female’s hand rested on the male’s lower stomach near his semi-erect penis. Before she pleasured him again, a disturbance sounded.
A second male demon crashed through the bushes, roaring, his fists pounding his chest. “Mine,” he thundered as he latched onto the female’s wrist to pull her from the hard ground and toss her behind him. He crouched, calling forth his clawed beast, challenging her lover.
The sex-glutted male rose to bring forth his own demon. A savage battle ensued, each creature tearing at the other, each coveting the female and gripped by a possessive rage.
But the intruder ripped open the lover’s throat, tearing flesh, muscle, tendon, and bone. As the stronger of the two contenders, his last act was to tear off his opponent’s head. Dropping the body at his feet, he twisted toward the female, his prize.
She stepped away, her eyes wide, tears staining her cheeks as she gazed upon her dead lover.
The victor was not finished. He lumbered into the bushes to drag forth an earlier kill, an offering to his newly won female. With a lifeless gift at his feet, he thumped his chest with pride.
Gahya gasped, fighting for a breath, a loud wheeze escaping her throat. The victor’s offering was a forbidden kill. A Homo erectus. The OneCreator decreed these creatures off limits.
The Genitrix sprang to her feet, her eyes wide with shock. And, perhaps, fear.
Ohngel propped himself on his elbows, his expression dispassionate. The boss was going to be pissed. He had expressed a future use for Homo erectus.
Celene closed the book, resting her hand on her pulsing heart.Wow. Ohngel could certainly tell a simmering tale. She glanced at the clock on the wall. More than an hour had passed.Oh, well.What else did she have to do besides shower? Nothing.The Pathwas more interesting.
