The Devil's Apprentice, page 9
“He looks like shit,” Mark nodded at Alex.
“It’s his first day.”
“He looks shit for a human,” Mark said nastily.
“He’s got a bigger cock than you,” Karen retorted.
“Fuck off,” Mark said instantly. “Let me see.”
It took a few seconds for Alex to process the fact that Mark had just asked to see his cock. Karen had turned to look at him too, the corners of her lips twitched in amusement. There was an obvious history between these two. Whatever it is, Alex very much didn’t want to be part of it.
“What did she do?” he asked, pointing at the demon girl surrounded by the other demon hunters.
“She’s a nymphomaniac.”
“That’s a crime?”
Mark’s brows furrowed. “You’re new to this, so I’m going to ignore the tone just the once.” Turning to Karen, he continued, “You volunteered to train another newbie? How many is that now? Fifteen? How many stuck by you?”
Their conversation faded away as Alex stepped off the sidewalk and onto the narrow grassy lawn at the foot of the tower block. The demon girl looked so familiar. How could he know her? She stared back at him. And then he saw it. Recognition. Her eyes wide, her mouth hung open as a tinge of red coloured her blue cheeks.
“Alex?”
Chapter 13
The blue-skinned demon said his name. The doubt was gone. She knew him. He knew her too. That face was too familiar. But how did he know her and from where?
Mark let out a laugh that sounded like an evil cackle. “The nymph knows you?”
Alex used every bit of his will power to not look back at Mark. He really wanted to punch the guy in the face. If he did, he knew how that would end. The blonde douchebag was at least six foot five and had arms that usually came from steroid abuse. Alex, on the other hand looked more like he’d just survived a famine.
He forced his attention onto the demon. “How do I know you?”
The three demon hunters that surrounded the girl, that stood as a barrier between him and her, they stepped aside as if to let her through. The demon girl’s hesitance was obvious. She remained with her bottom against the wall, her hands behind her back.
“It’s Melissa,” she said, as she lowered her gaze, now staring at her feet.
Melissa? Alex searched his brain for any memory of a demon girl he might have ever met named Melissa. He didn’t have to search long or strain his memory much. He didn’t know any demon girls. He did know one girl named Melissa though. She was a pretty girl that worked for the same security company as he did.
This demon before him did resemble that Melissa. They had the same features, height and even the voice. If the demon had white skin, brown eyes and brown hair, then….
He recalled how Chrissy’s boyfriend had appeared human one moment, a demon the next. Alex’s eyes widened as he stared at the demon. “Melissa from work?”
She raised her head; her yellow eyes met his. She gave a quick nod, her cheeks now positively magenta.
Most of his security colleagues were old and a little on the bitter side. They were also pretty stupid. He could understand the bitterness. Who wanted to be working for pennies well into their sixties? But their sheer stupidity did tend to piss him off some. Alex liked Melissa. She was about the only one at work that he liked. She was really pretty too.
“Alex,” Karen called. “Let’s go.”
She stood on the sidewalk a few feet away from Mark, a pleading look in her eyes. She could sense the tension and he knew she wanted no part of it. He was alone in this. But what this was, he wasn’t sure yet.
Alex turned to Mark. “What are you going to do with her?”
Mark shrugged. “Haven’t decided.” He glanced at the three Demon Hunters that stood on the grass near Melissa. “I think George wants to see how wide the Nymph’s cunt can get…” he grinned nonchalantly, as if he’d just suggested throwing a lit firework down someone’s letterbox.
Alex swallowed uncomfortably. He knew this was a harsher world, but what sort of twisted place did it have to be for a person to say something so casually? A person in authority too. “What did she do to deserve that?”
“Be born a demon,” Mark laughed. It subsided into a lazy grin, his eyes flickered over Alex’s stance. “You want to do something, boy?”
Boy? Mark looked about the same age as Alex, though it was entirely possible he was a few hundred years of age. He certainly had that mentality, one that belonged in the pages of history.
Alex knew this would end badly for him. His hands clenched into fists, he marched towards Mark. The arrogant fucker remained with his arms by his side, evening tilting his head to expose his impressive jawline, inviting the punch. Alex swung his right arm. His knuckles connected well.
It felt like punching a brick wall.
Every bone in his hand felt broken. To his credit, he managed to hold back a scream, though his eyes did water. The lazy grin, the bored eyes, they disappeared from Mark’s face. Now he had a glint in his eyes and an evil smile to match.
“Big mistake, boy. I’m the best Demon Hunter out there. You’re pathetic even for a human. You’re fucked.”
Hunched over in pain, Alex took a step back. He figured he was fucked, knew as much when he marched towards Mark with fists ready to strike. Back then he was hoping to get in a solid punch before the inevitable ass-whooping. The punch was solid alright. Mark just happened to be a fucking tank.
What happened next was mostly a blur. Mark moved with inhuman speed. His fists came up a blur. Alex felt them connect. One struck him on the left cheekbone, the other hit his nose. There was a crack as it broke.
Alex was on the ground on his back, his arms spread out. He stared up at Mark. Blood dripped down his nose and over his lips. The metallic taste of blood entered his mouth as his cheekbone throbbed.
Mark stepped away and turned. His hands reached his waist. He pulled out two swords by their golden hilts. The silver blades sparkled in the sunlight. Alex rolled over and climbed to his feet. Taking care to steady himself, he wiped the blood away from his nose.
Karen remained rooted to the spot by the sidewalk. He couldn’t count on any support from her. The sympathetic look was the most he would be getting. Melissa, the demon girl who worked security night shifts with him, stared at him in horror. The three Demon Hunters had their backs turned to her. The two dudes wore identical grins. The girl with the purple hair, her expression was unreadable bordering on blank.
And then there was Mark.
He’d pulled his t-shirt off to reveal a perfectly ripped body. He stood with a sword in each hand and as a gust of wind swept his golden locks back, he looked like a modern version of Conan.
Alex wondered if this was how he was going to die. His immortality was only against natural causes. He’d got his ass kicked against an unarmed Mark. Now that the guy had two swords…
“Come on, boy,” Mark growled. “Let’s dance.”
“I’d rather not,” Alex muttered.
“Give him a weapon,” Mark said, ignoring him.
The Demon Hunter with the purple hair reached for her waist and pulled out a footlong dagger. She threw it towards him. It landed an inch away from his foot. The point dug into the hard concrete as if it had pierced an apple.
Alex wondered if it were a lucky throw, or if she was just that good. He wondered how they all managed to pull out weapons from their waists when there was no visible bulge. He reached down and pulled the dagger. It slipped out of the hard concrete as if it were butter. The grip was wrapped in leather. With a white faceted pommel, the blade was curved like a scimitar, the edges sharp and glistening.
Solid and heavy but not too heavy, it felt good in his hand. It felt dependable.
But he had no idea how to use it. Much like most normal children, Alex hadn’t attended fencing lessons growing up. The closest he’d come to using any sort of weapon was playing darts. He was decent at that too.
Deciding it was his best hope, Alex held the dagger much like you would hold a dart. Closing his right eye, he aimed for Mark’s chest. There was something about the dagger. While it felt sturdy, strong and heavy, it flew through the air as it were fitted with small propulsion rockets.
It was a good throw. The dagger sped towards Mark. The aim true, it would have looked wonderful, the leather grip sticking out of his chest. But Mark deflected it easily with his sword. And then he charged. Once more, he was a blur. His movement was so fast. The two swords whizzed about in front of Alex. The sharp edges sliced away. Mark took a step back, satisfied.
Alex could feel the blood seeping out of his body, from his chest, face and arms. It didn’t hurt much. There was some pain, a dull ache from every cut. He suddenly felt tired, drowsy, cold… his body weighed a ton. Alex noticed his t-shirt covered in blood as he dropped to his knees.
His body tilted and he slumped against the ground. His eyelids weighed heavy, but Alex was determined to keep them open. He feared what would follow if he closed them, he feared the incoming darkness. The life in him, the warmth, it continued to drain out. So did the willingness to keep his eyes open.
Alex closed them to embrace the darkness and the end it brought.
Chapter 14
It was another moment of déjà vu.
Alex shielded his eyes from the light shining in through the large glass panel. His sight weak, he stared at his surroundings. He took in the chair stuffed with clothes, the beige wardrobe with the single full-length mirror, the flat screen television attached to the wall. It was his bedroom.
It couldn’t have been another dream, could it? A dream within a dream? He pulled the blanket away and stared down at his body. His arms and chest bore no signs of damage. The skin was smooth and free of any scars.
And bigger.
Where in the past his arms were skinny, his chest lean, his ribcages exposed, his elbows and knees more pronounced, now they were covered with meat. He’d gained weight, but in a good way. Like a slightly overweight person after two months of regular training. Even his skin colour, although not tanned, had lost the sickly paleness.
Alex jumped out of bed and stood in front of the floor length mirror of his wardrobe. He was taller too…
The door to his room parted. Jessica stood in the gap wearing a grey oversized top, her smooth tanned legs bare. She looked both cute and sexy as she took in his naked form. And then Alex realised that he was naked.
Normally, he would have hurtled onto the bed and hid under the duvet. But Alex did not feel shame. Or, he felt less shame. Jessica had already seen him naked before, when he was much bonier and paler.
He wondered if she noted the change in his body, or if she was fully consumed by his enormous cock. Her eyes were fully fixed onto it.
“Hey,” Alex waved at her.
Jessica’s cheeks reddened as her eyes met his. “How uh- are you feeling better?” she asked quickly.
Alex nodded. For someone who’d bled out after being slashed with by swords, he felt remarkably well. “Did Karen bring me here?”
“The really tall and pretty girl?” Jessica’s cheeks reddened even more as she spoke quickly. “She carried you in and uh… she put you in bed and stripped you and…” Jessica’s eyes trawled down to his cock.
Alex raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“She uh… she sucked your cock…”
“She did what now?”
“She uh… she made me suck on it too,” Jessica stared down at her feet. “It was a little bit weird, but kind of nice too…”
Alex stared at her, completely lost for words. His brain tried to process the events and make sense of it. His unconscious body, possibly covered in blood. Karen carrying him in her arms, placing him on the bed… then stripping his clothes and sucking on his cock? Making Jessica do the same?
“Why? Why would you- just… what the fuck? Why would you do that?”
The intensity in his voice caused Jessica to shudder. As their eyes met, the hazy look she’d been sporting the past couple of days vanished. “I don’t know,” she said softly, a hint of fear now in her eyes. “There’s something about your friend… when she’s around, it’s like I lose my-”
Jessica stopped talking and peeled her head back. She stared down the corridor. Alex didn’t recall hearing the front door open, but he did hear it shut. His bedroom door opened fully as Karen walked in.
Fucks sake, Alex thought. It was hard to be angry at the woman when she was so damned beautiful. She was dressed in black shorts and a white cropped top. Simple, but still fucking sexy.
“What’s the matter?” Karen asked, frowning.
“A lot, actually. But let’s begin with the how you just stood by while Mark fucking killed me!”
Karen folded her arms across her chest. “You’re not dead.”
“He attacked me with two swords!”
“Stop being dramatic,” Karen scolded him. “Demon Hunters aren’t allowed to kill each other. You inadvertently challenged Mark to a duel. By our rules, when two Demon Hunters battle, we’re not allowed to interfere.” Karen shrugged her shoulders. “You got your ass kicked. Put it down to experience.”
Alex stared at her, speechless for the second time that morning. Under no circumstances should she have been able to absolve herself from having stood by whilst he was attacked. But somehow, the sexy bitch managed to rationalise the whole thing, even place the blame on him for having started it.
“You stripped me naked and sucked my cock! What the fuck?”
Karen’s frown deepened. “You think I did that for some sort of sexual gratification?”
“Why’d you do it?” Alex demanded.
“Mark hurt you pretty badly. Demon Hunter blood is filled with the healing abilities of Satani herself. By getting your blood moving, I aided in your recovery.”
“By sucking my cock?” Alex asked, exasperated. “How does that help?”
“I think she’s saying that uh… because the blood rushed to your cock?” Jessica interjected quietly.
Alex turned to her in surprise. He’d forgotten she was there. Karen turned too, a curious look in her eyes, she smiled at Jessica. “You’re not as stupid as I thought.”
Jessica smiled hesitantly. Alex glared at Karen. He didn’t completely buy her reason for sucking his cock, but he found he didn’t have the energy to argue. His body suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred tons. He dropped onto the bed and stared up tiredly at the two women.
“Your body is healing your wounds while it still changes. You need rest and food,” Karen said, before adding as an afterthought, “Maybe Jessica should suck on your cock some more.”
“Leave her out of this,” Alex warned.
Karen shooed Jessica out of the room to bring food. She then told him they would continue with his induction the following day with a trip to the armoury in the Red House of Satan where he would pick up a weapon and begin training with it. And then she left.
Alex was happy to see her go. Exhausted but hungry, he rested against the headboard and waited for Jessica to bring him food. She turned up with a tray in hand looking every part the adorable girlfriend he’d always dreamt off. As Alex tucked into his breakfast of toast with beans, eggs and sausages, Jessica sat on the bed beside him.
She quite bluntly stared at his cock. Alex stopped chewing as her hand trailed up his thigh. First her fingertips brushed against his manhood. Then quite suddenly, Jessica wrapped her hand around his cock. Her knees on the bed, she leant down with her bottom in the air. Alex caught a glimpse of her red lacy panties peeking out from under her grey top. He bit his toast as she took his cock in her mouth.
Chapter 15
Breakfast in bed whilst being sucked off, it was every guys dream. He came in Jessica’s mouth. She swallowed like a pro and sucked him dry. He fell into a deep sleep after that. When he woke, she was gone.
After lying in bed staring at the ceiling for an hour, Alex got up, pulled on some pants and headed for the kitchen. He rummaged through the fridge and settled for the leftover food in the paper takeaway bags. Cold chicken, chips and a pita bread.
Alex leaned against the kitchen counter with a cold beer in hand. He stared at the bright light shining in through the double glass doors that led from the living room to the balcony. While the day was still young, so far he hadn’t been stabbed, kidnapped, or sexually assaulted. It was a good day. He intended to keep it that way.
He was going to take a break from being a Demon Hunter. The little exposure he’d had to the role hadn’t been flattering. Far from being the heroic role of saving humanity from demons spawning out of hell, Demon Hunters were egregious creatures. He wondered if it was the result of immortality, of living so long, having seen everything. They were completely desensitized to pain and suffering.
Mark was the epitome of evil. A bad guy if there ever was one. In Alex’s stories, Mark would be the baddie the main protagonist would eventually defeat. In reality, Alex was supposed to be on his side and work with him and his ilk? Alex had a feeling he had little choice in matter. Satani had claimed him. She would not let go of him easily.
But that was for another time. For now, Alex was going to ignore the past couple of days and get on with life as if nothing had changed. With that in mind, he grabbed his laptop and settled onto the sofa, legs crossed. He signed into his email and skimmed through the circulars from the various online writing groups he’d joined. He deleted the easily identifiable spam mails. His mouse hovered over one sent from a Chrissy.
So much had happened in the past few days, for a moment the name was a complete blank. Chrissy Skinner, the cute girl that had bought him coffee. More than that, she was his first crush in primary school. It soured his mood somewhat to recall her demon boyfriend.
Alex clicked on the email.
