Highlander Hellcat PG-13 Version

Highlander Hellcat

  PG-13 Version

  By KuroKoneko Kamen

  Copyright 2016 by KuroKoneko Kamen

  Cover Design by Mathia Arkoniel

  This is a work of fiction. All characters are invented. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1: Jawbreaker

  Garth Mackenzie, a Hellcat demon shifter living in San Francisco while trying to blend in among the humans, was in a rather ridiculous situation. He was trying to find a very special human female known as a Judge. A Judge was pure of heart and spirit, and had the power to redeem a demon of his or her sins in the eyes of God with their love.

  Currently, Garth was failing spectacularly in this quest to find true love. Thinking that human girls liked sweet things, Garth had opened a candy shop named Helltastic Confectionary. Garth’s knowledge of what human females liked was extremely limited, however, as were his interactions with human females.

  This was mostly because the majority of human females were scared away by his intimidating appearance. Garth was a large male at six-eight. He had a muscular physique that he’d gained from all the battles he’d fought over millennia, and battle scars covered most of his body. A scar ran over the bridge of his nose and lent to his fearsome appearance. He also had the habit of glaring at humans with his fierce golden eyes while not realizing what he was doing.

  Garth began to recall one human female that he’d met a few years ago while the Red Priest, Garth’s Archenemy, had held him prisoner in a dungeon that was positively medieval. The Red Priest had stuck an enchanted collar around his neck that had been carved with magical Druidic symbols. The magical collar had kept Garth trapped in his animal form. He’d been caged and treated just like an animal.

  Garth’s imprisonment was something he’d rather forget but he couldn’t forget the Battle Nun that had reached out to him. The Battle Nun had seemed very different from the other Battle Nuns and Battle Priests that worked for the Red Priest. She’d been a kind and gentle soul. And surprisingly she hadn’t been afraid of him. On the contrary she’d befriended him and had shared with him the candy she appeared to love.

  Garth hoped to meet the mysterious girl again someday, and this had been one of the motivating factors for deciding to open up a candy shop. The nun had been tolerable for a human.

  Unfortunately, Garth didn’t know much about the candy-loving nun. He didn’t even know her name. All he knew was that she was a Battle Nun working for the Red Priest. Her hair had been covered by her dark blue nun’s veil, and so he didn’t even know the color of her hair.

  The nun had kept her face lowered shyly, but Garth had caught a glimpse of her sparkling blue eyes that were filled with so much life. Still, this wasn’t much to go on. There were a lot of human females that had blue eyes after all.

  Garth was currently standing behind a large glass display case full of candy waiting for her to show up like a fool. The case had every type of candy imaginable: M&Ms, Gummi Bears, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers, Kit-Kats, Hershey’s Bars and Kisses, Starbursts, Toblerone, Milk Duds, Pixie Stix, Tootsie Roll Pops and more.

  The shifter let out a heavy sigh. He knew that waiting for his candy-loving nun to just magically appear was stupid. Also, because of his fierce golden eyes and murderous stare he kept scaring his would-be customers away before he could sell them a single piece of candy.

  It’d been like this for months, and now Garth didn’t have the money to pay the rent. His landlady was a dog-person named Mrs. Claire Barks that even Garth was unnerved by. He shuddered thinking how she would react to Garth telling her he still didn’t have the money to pay her what he owed. Garth could have asked his friends for money, but he didn’t want to burden them with his financial problems.

  Garth mused about whether or not he’d ever get a female customer who wasn’t scared away by his ferocious glare. He wasn’t like his charismatic friend Tristan Savant, a half-incubus demon who had pheromones, and made orgasmic chocolate that drove the human females wild. Garth’s candy was just…well, normal candy.

  The shifter groaned and put his face into his large hands. What the hell was he going to do?

  A few minutes later, the bell above the front door jingled as a customer stepped inside. Garth was refilling a large glass jar with Jawbreakers and turned around to see what kind of human girl had entered his shop. However, he groaned at the sight of an annoying, and rather troublesome acquaintance of his, Nerezza Cruso.

  Nerezza Cruso was a famous actress who happened to be a succubus demon. A masochistic sex demon. Garth couldn’t deny Nerezza was attractive. She was tall with voluptuous curves and porcelain-like skin. Her long, wavy black hair went down to her waist. “Hi, Sweet Cheeks.” Nerezza greeted with a wave.

  Sweet Cheeks? A muscle ticked beneath Garth’s eye in irritation at the ridiculous nickname.

  The succubus’s black dress was very low-cut and Garth couldn’t stop his gaze from zeroing in on her cleavage. He doubted any man could resist the temptation to ogle her.

  “Did you miss me?” Nerezza teased in a singsong voice, a glint in her hazel green eyes. “I bet you did.”

  Garth shook his head to clear it of his lewd thoughts. No! He wouldn’t let himself get carried away by her pace. “What are you doing here, you wicked lass?” He demanded in a low voice and angrily crossed his arms over his broad chest.

  Nerezza tapped her index finger against her pouty bottom lip while giving Garth an innocent look. “How cruel. Is that any way to treat a paying customer, hmm?”

  Garth raised a suspicious eyebrow at Nerezza. “Paying? You actually going to buy something this time?”

  Nerezza smiled seductively. “Of course. I have to help a sex friend, sorry, friend in need.” The succubus sashayed her way over to the glass display case Garth was standing behind. “I don’t really like candy, but…I do like those little cakes you know how to make.”

  Garth waved a hand at the case containing the petit fours he’d made early that morning. “You mean the petit fours?”

  There was a mischievous twinkle in Nerezza’s eyes. “Yes…them.” The succubus intently peered down at the iced, ornamented, square-shaped cakes that could be eaten in one or two bites. “Fascinating that such a big, powerful guy like you can make such tiny, delicate little cakes. I’ll take a dozen to go, please.”

  “Aye.” Garth picked up a pair of stainless steel kitchen tongs and a white, cardboard pastry box, and began to select an assortment of petit fours for Nerezza. He looked up and noticed Nerezza was leaning over the counter while showing off her cleavage. He gulped, and accidentally dropped one of his petit fours. He pretended it didn’t happen, and placed another inside of the box casually. Garth closed the box, tied it shut with a red ribbon, and handed it to Nerezza. “That will be forty dollars.”

  Nerezza reached into her cleavage and pulled out her leopard print wallet. She opened her wallet and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, which she handed to Garth. “Keep the change.”

  “Ah, no, that’s not necessary.” Garth objected as he took the fifty-dollar bill.

  Nerezza smiled knowingly. “You dropped one, didn’t you?”

  “Tch. Whatever.” Garth walked over to the register, pressed a button on it, and put the fifty-dollar bill inside. When he turned back around it was to see Nerezza eating the petit fours messily. “What are you doing, lass?”

  “Eating.” Nerezza replied innocently as she sucked on a petit four sensually before plopping it into her mouth.

  Garth felt himself get turned on. Crap. Nerezza hadn’t even released her pheromones yet.

  Nerezza picked up a cake that had a lot of white icing on
it, and ate it messily so that the icing began to drip down onto her cleavage. “Oh dear, I’m making such a mess.” The succubus ran her finger into the icing and then sucked on her finger while looking at Garth with a heated gaze.

  Garth could feel himself get even more turned on. “Crap, Nerezza, get the hell out of here. I know what you’re up to. If Gabriel finds you here, he’s gonna freak.”

  Nerezza frowned at the mention of Garth’s Guardian Angel. “That angel is such a killjoy. What’s the harm in two adults having a little adult fun? Hmm?”

  Her offer was very tempting. The shifter sighed and ran a hand back through his short, spiky orange hair. “Nerezza, I’m trying to find my human Judge so that I can be redeemed. You should be doing the same.”

  Nerezza pouted. “But while we wait for our Judges to show up we might as well keep each other company. Hmm?” The succubus released her pheromones towards Garth.

  The scent of jasmine hit Garth’s senses and his jeans felt overly tight. He found himself considering Nerezza’s offer. No! Nerezza deserved better. She deserved to find true love with a human. She deserved better than a one-night stand.

  Garth made his way around the counter and approached Nerezza. He grabbed her arm and began to escort her towards the door. “Time to go, Nerezza.”

  “Ooo, Garth, I love it when you’re so forceful with me.” Nerezza was flushed and practically panting over Garth’s rough treatment of her.

  Garth shoved her out of his shop, but not before whispering in Nerezza’s ear: “You deserve better, bonny lass.”

  Nerezza blushed ferociously at Garth’s kind words as the door was shut in her face. What a man. I wonder who his Judge is. I’m kind of jealous of her.

  Half an hour later, the bell above the front door jingled as the door opened, and Garth looked up to see a group of three human girls step inside of his shop. Garth’s desolate expression turned hopeful. The girls were chatting amongst themselves and texting away on their smart phones, and so hadn’t even noticed Garth yet.

  Okay, smile, smile. Garth thought to himself as he smiled at the girls in what he hoped was an inviting, friendly smile.

  The girls glanced in his direction and then did a double take. The girls’ eyes bulged, their jaws dropped, and they craned their necks up and up in order to see Garth’s face.

  Garth’s smile widened and he didn’t realize he was now showing off his abnormally sharp canines.

  The three girls screamed loudly for several seconds, turned around, and fled to the door. They ended up getting stuck in the doorway in their haste to escape Garth’s evil clutches, and began to push and shove each other frantically as they tried to get free.

  What did I do wrong? Garth wondered, with the feral smile still on his face.

  Someone smacked Garth hard on the back of his head with a whack! “Ow! What the hell?” Garth bellowed as he turned to glare at the empty space beside him.

  Slowly, the being that hit Garth began to materialize. “That smile on your face…is awful. It’s no wonder you haven’t managed to find your Judge yet. You look like the Big Bad Wolf, and those girls think they’re little piggies.” Standing next to Garth was Archangel Gabriel. Correction. Rogue Archangel Gabriel, who also happened to be Garth’s assigned Guardian Angel. Gabriel’s sharp, dark blue eyes were currently glaring at Garth with obvious disgust.

  Like Garth, the angel had a warrior’s physique that had been gained in the countless battles he’d fought for God over millennia throughout the universe. His short, platinum blonde hair had been gelled carefully into spikes and had blue tips. The Archangel’s armor consisted of a steel breastplate, matching arm bracers and greaves. Beneath the armor the angel wore black leather, and he also had on a pair of combat boots. Lending to the angel’s unusual punky yet ferocious appearance were his several ear piercings, and the spikes that covered his silver armor.

  The Archangel shook his head at Garth and tsked. “Pathetic.” A lit cigarette dangled from between his lips.

  The smile fell from Garth’s face, and turned into a scowl as he glared back at the meddlesome angel. He raised an eyebrow at the new ear piercings he noticed in Gabriel’s ear. “You’re one to talk. Have you looked in a mirror lately? You know, angels are supposed to be more…” Garth waved his hand through the air as he searched his mind for the right word. “Majestic.”

  Gabriel took a drag from his cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke right into Garth’s face. “I’m not that kind of angel.”

  Gabriel wasn’t your typical Archangel, but a Rogue one. This was because more than five centuries ago, Gabriel decided to disagree with God on His decision that unlike humans - demons did not have a chance at redemption through believing in Jesus Christ.

  Gabriel had felt it was unfair that the sinful humans could repent of their sins in the name of Jesus Christ and get redeemed - when demons that repented of their rebellion against God could not do the same.

  Gabriel had seen that there was still some good left in the angels who’d rebelled against God with Lucifer, and that many of them deserved a second chance. In order to prove this to God, Gabriel had made a bet on Joan of Arc’s forbidden love for the demon Dantalion. Dantalion had chosen to give his life in order to protect the human woman he loved, and God saw that the demon deserved to be redeemed because of Joan’s love for Dante.

  Because of these events that had transpired, God agreed to let Gabriel travel to the realm of Hell along with his sister Uriel where they tried to recruit demons for a chance at redemption. It was Gabriel and Uriel’s duty to inform the demons that God had decided to give them a second chance. In exchange for the demon’s memories of Heaven and Hell, Gabriel had the power to send the demon to Earth where he or she would then need to find a human Judge that could redeem them with their love.

  Garth had no memories of this, but apparently Gabriel had convinced him to take this very deal. Garth’s memories had been exchanged for passage to Earth in order to find his fated human Judge. Even now, Garth felt it sounded farfetched. He had no real interest in love or romance. He scratched his head thoughtfully. Nor did he really understand love. Now, lust he understood.

  “Yeah, you’re just an annoying pain in my butt.” Garth agreed.

  A muscle beneath Gabriel’s eye ticked in irritation. “I’m a pain in your butt? You’re the one who’s a pain in my butt. I can’t believe I got assigned to be your Guardian Angel. I have better things; more important things to be doing than babysitting you while you try to find your human Judge!”

  “Babysitting?” Garth’s eyes flashed red with anger. “You better stop there, bastard angel. You’re making me angry.”

  “Don’t you dare shift here, idiot.” Gabriel’s blue eyes flashed and he unexpectedly punched Garth hard across the face. “You already scared away those girls earlier and you were in human form. How do you think the human females will react if they see an enormous demonic tiger suddenly appear inside of this candy shop?”

  Garth wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He gave Gabriel an incredulous look. “That was supposed to calm me down? Crap. Now I’m even more pissed off at you, you jerk!” Garth quickly retaliated and punched Gabriel hard across the face next.

  Gabriel’s cigarette flew out of his mouth, but the angel caught it in midair using his quick reflexes, and put it out between his thumb and index finger. “I don’t have time to deal with your temper tantrums. I should be in Hell recruiting new demons for God’s Army. Trying to help you find true love is…a lost cause. A waste of time. You never listen to my advice. What do I have to do to knock some sense into you! Huh?” Gabriel grabbed Garth by the front of his T-shirt, pulled him forward, and then headbutt him hard.

  Garth saw stars from the blow. “Oh that’s it, you annoying angel!” The shifter growled as he headbutt Gabriel back.

  “Bloody hell!” Gabriel swore angrily and blood trickled down his face.

  “I thoug
ht angels couldn’t swear.” Garth said mockingly.

  “Screw you!” Gabriel snarled as he swung a punch at Garth’s head.

  Garth dodged the punch and Gabriel’s fist went flying into one of the glass shelves behind Garth that had been stacked with candy. The glass shelf shattered and glass jars filled with candy hit the floor and shattered too. “Oh, you are so paying for that, angel!” Garth threw a punch at Gabriel.

  This time Gabriel dodged sideways and Garth’s fist ended up smashing a gigantic glass jar that had been filled with Hot Tamales. “Crap.” Garth lamented as he watched the red, spicy cinnamon candy spill onto the floor. “Those are my favorite.”

  Garth was distracted by the falling candy and ended up getting punched right in the nose by Gabriel. Garth’s nose was broken and blood gushed down his face.

  Gabriel clenched his hands into fists at his sides, panting for breath. “What the hell do you know about me, huh? About what I’m going through…” The angel trailed off.

  Huh? Garth blinked and began to realize that today’s fight with Gabriel wasn’t about him at all. Garth mentally scolded himself that he should have realized this earlier since Gabriel could be a real jerk sometimes, but he wasn’t a total creep.

  Something was obviously bothering the angel. And since Gabriel was usually such a cold, emotionless guy…it must be something major. “What are you going through?”

  Gabriel let out a defeated breath. Garth was the last person he wanted to unload his problem on but it wasn’t like he had very many options. “It’s my sister Uriel. She’s in love with a playboy vampire. He is not worthy to breathe the same air as my sister.” The angel grit his teeth at the mere thought of that vampire getting anywhere near his beloved sister.

  “Uriel’s in love with a vampire?” Garth’s eyebrows rose in surprise and he reached out to pat Gabriel on the shoulder. “Tough luck, man. What do the humans always say? You don’t choose who you love, you just do? But…is that even allowed? I mean, can angels fall in love?”

  Gabriel let out another sigh, this one even heavier. “No, of course not. Angels are not allowed to fall in love with humans. Especially humans that have turned into soulless immortal vampires. Though the creep did recently get his soul back somehow. Crap. I need a smoke.” Gabriel took out a new cigarette, lit it and took a long drag on it. “She could lose her wings over this.” There was a slight tremor in Gabriel’s voice.

  Ah, so this is why he started smoking. Garth thumped Gabriel on the back in what he thought was a consoling gesture. “There, there.”

  Gabriel’s lips twitched in amusement. “Good thing I have armor on or else you’d have broken my spine.”

  Garth pulled his hand away and looked down at it. He still had trouble at times controlling his monstrous strength. This was one of the reasons why Garth had decided to learn how to make candy and petit fours. It took a lot of skill, concentration, and finesse not to screw up making a miniature cake or specially shaped lollipop. And if he could handle something as fragile as a cake then Garth could theoretically handle a fragile human female.

  Garth frowned as a sudden thought came to him. “But I don’t understand. If God has allowed demons the chance to be redeemed by falling in love with a human, then why can’t angels fall in love with humans?”

  “Do you know the story of Noah’s Arc?” Gabriel asked.

  Garth nodded. “Aye.”

  “Well, the reason that God decided to flood the Earth was because his Archangels had seen that the daughters of men were beautiful and had decided to takes wives for themselves. The union of angels and humans ended up producing the Nephilim. These humans ended up having powers that humanity was not supposed to possess, and some of them were giants, such as Goliath.”

  “Goliath was a Nephilim?”

  “Indeed. Anyways, the union of angels and man disrupted the balance of the universe. And because of this God deemed it a necessary evil to wipe them from the face of the Earth. However, times have changed and God is desperate for new allies in his fight against Evil. That’s why He’s decided to break his own rule and allow demons fall in love with humans for the sake of their redemption, and so that God can gain new warriors for his Holy Army.” Gabriel explained.

  “That doesn’t seem fair.” Garth pointed out.

  Gabriel shrugged. “It’s not about fair. It’s about what’s right and it’s about preserving the delicate balance of the universe. Uriel is being selfish by falling in love with a vampire.”

  The bell above the front door jingled as two young women stepped inside the shop. They looked at Garth standing behind the display case with blood covering his face from his broken nose, and Gabriel who also had blood trickling down his face from his forehead. The two girls looked at each other, screamed like banshees, and fled the shop. Garth sighed and ran a hand over his spiky orange hair.

  Gabriel had quickly willed his wings and armor to disappear with a snap of his fingers, so that he’d at least appear human to the girls who’d entered the shop so unexpectedly. “Yeah, that was my fault this time.” Gabriel admitted. “Sorry.”

  Garth raised an eyebrow at Gabriel, surprised by the apology. He also noticed the myriad of scars on Gabriel’s arms that had been covered up by his arm bracers. Wicked scars. Garth cringed. Those scars were probably from demons who’d needed a lot of convincing to seek redemption. He may have even put a few of those scars there himself. “Naw, don’t worry about it. I’m about to close up shop anyways. I have…things to go do.” Garth said evasively.

  Gabriel frowned and eyed Garth suspiciously. “You’re going to another underground fight club, aren’t you?”

  “Aye.” Garth agreed nonchalantly as he made his way around the counter and headed towards the front door. He flipped the open closed store sign from ‘Come in we’re open’ to ‘Sorry we’re closed’, and locked the door.

  Gabriel felt a headache coming on. “You should be concentrating on finding your Judge instead of trying to find the Red Priest and getting revenge.”

  “It’s not just about revenge.” Garth let out a frustrated huff. “It’s about my responsibilities to Clan MacWulver as their Clan Chief.” The shifter puffed out his chest. “My clansmen are still being held prisoner by the Red Priest while trapped in their animal forms. Every night they’re being forced to fight Battle Nuns and Battle Priests while a bunch of rich humans bet on the outcomes of those fights. When I managed to escape, I promised them that I would return and free them. I can’t abandon my people.” There was a passionate light in Garth’s golden eyes.

  Gabriel took a drag from his cigarette. He sighed. The demon was as stubborn as a mule. “Alright, fine, but I’m coming with you. I can’t have you dying before you find your Judge.”

  Garth smirked. “I didn’t know you wanted me to get laid so badly. I’m touched.”

  “Smart alec.”

  “You can come, but no one can see you.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Indeed. I’ll go like this.” The angel turned himself invisible slowly until only his smile was left.

  “That is so creepy.” Garth shook his head at Gabriel’s Cheshire smile. “You know there are a lot of men who would die for the ability to turn themselves invisible so that they could peep on women without them knowing.”

  “P-Pervert.” Gabriel stammered. “I’ve never had such an impure thought!”

  “Uh huh.” Garth chuckled lowly. “You really need to get out more, angel.”

  ***

  Outside of Helltastic Confectionary, Garth mounted his orange and black Ducati motorcycle. He turned on the engine, pulled out of his parking spot, and headed to an abandoned warehouse located next to Pier 70. This is where the underground fight club Garth had found out about this time was scheduled to meet.

  There were various secret, illegal, underground fight clubs that met in San Francisco, but Garth was looking for a very specific one. One where humans fought against animals, or what appeared to be ani
mals, but were in reality demon shifters trapped in their animal forms.

  As Garth neared the dilapidated warehouse he saw several expensive cars and motorcycles parked outside the building. The fancy cars looked out of place next to a low, crumbling brick wall that was covered with graffiti. The wealthy always had more money than they knew what to do with, and enjoyed betting on the underground fights. Most of the fights Garth participated in had no rules and many were to the death.

  Garth parked his motorcycle next to a line of Harleys and KTMs, and dismounted. A rush of biting cold wind and the sound of flapping wings alerted him that an invisible Gabriel had just touched down on the ground beside him.

  Undeterred by the warehouse’s haunting exterior, Garth strode to the front door and knocked loudly. The front door had seen better days and the red paint was peeling off of it. A little rectangular-shaped slat slid sideways at eye level and a creepy white mask peered out at Garth. “Password?”

  Garth’s information broker, a vampire escort named Dominic Wilde, had found out the password for him using unsavory means. “The Hanged Man.”

  The door opened and Garth was allowed inside. The place was packed with humans wearing white masks, which hid the features of their faces. They were wearing the masks in case the police busted the place. The humans were seated in stands that surrounded a bare area of the floor that acted as the fighting arena. The setup was simple, and not as ritzy as some of the fight club venues Garth had visited before.

  A match was currently in progress, and the masked humans in the stands were loudly placing bets on the outcome of the fight. Garth looked at the fighters with interest. They appeared to be two normal human fighters. Both were male, muscular, and apparently skilled in kickboxing. One of the men sent a roundhouse kick into the jaw of his opponent and a cracking sound ripped through the air. The man fell back onto the dusty, warehouse floor where he remained unmoving.

  “Winner - Bob Diesel!” The fight’s emcee cried.

  The crowd of humans in the stands called out various exclamations depending on which fighter they’d bet on. “Whoo!” “Yeah!” “Boo!”

  The emcee walked over to Bob, grabbed his fist, and held it up into the air as the crowd either booed or cheered the man’s victory. “Who has the guts to challenge Bob Diesel next?” The emcee called out loudly towards a group of street fighters who were standing close by.

  Garth was about to volunteer when a man beat him to it. Garth raised an eyebrow at the street fighter who didn’t look like a fighter at all. The man appeared to be in his late forties, and was dressed in a slick Armani suit along with polished Ferragamos on his feet. He wasn’t overly muscular, but didn’t appear to be out of shape either. The man had short black hair and sharp brown eyes. “What’s that salaryman doing? He’s about to get his butt kicked.” Garth muttered in a low voice.

  “That’s no salaryman.” Gabriel countered in a grim tone by Garth’s side.

  “Ugh.” Garth rubbed at his ear in irritation. “Don’t breathe into my ear like that. It’s creepy.”

  Gabriel bristled at Garth’s insult but kept quiet.

  “Contestants…take your stance.” The emcee called out. “Fight!”

  Mr. Salaryman strode onto the makeshift arena and faced the kickboxer. The kickboxer got into a fighting stance.

  As soon as the emcee yelled out the word ‘fight’, the kickboxer attacked the salaryman who began to dodge the man’s punches and kicks with startling ease and obviously well-honed reflexes. “Not bad.” Garth admitted as he watched the fight. “I wonder if he knows the Red Priest.”

  In the blink of an eye, the salaryman reached into his jacket, pulled out a .45 and fired it at the kickboxer. The shot rang out loudly within the empty warehouse. The kickboxer had been shot right between the eyes, and fell over onto the arena floor. Dead.

  “Bloody hell.” Garth swore at this unexpected turn of events. “What coward brings a gun to a fist fight?”

  “Winner - Mr. Armstrong!” The emcee walked over and tentatively grabbed Mr. Armstrong’s hand and held it high.

  Mr. Armstrong yanked his arm out of the emcee’s grasp. “Who’s next, gentlemen?” He addressed the group of gathered fighters, his gun still in hand, and a creepy smile plastered on his pale face.

  “That man is a rogue assassin. Ex-CIA.” Gabriel started to warn Garth in a hushed voice. “And now he’s off his master’s leash, trying to get cash by doing the only thing he’s good at - killing. His nickname in the criminal underworld is One Bullet Man. He’s extremely dangerous. He supposedly defeats his targets with a single bullet.”

  “One Bullet Man?” Garth raised an eyebrow at the cheesy nickname. “Who comes up with this crap? I wonder if he knows where the Red Priest is?” He started to head for the arena.

  Gabriel put a hand on Garth’s shoulder to try and stop him. “Did you hear a single word of what I just said, idiot?”

  “Aye, I heard you. And I don’t care. Bullets won’t work on me, remember?” Garth reminded the angel.

  “Stubborn demon,” Gabriel shook his head, “Don’t take any headshots or else the spectators will realize you’re not human.”

  “Yes, Mom.” Garth agreed in a sarcastic tone as he strode out onto the arena and raised his hand confidently. “I’ll give it a go.” Time for some sophisticated interrogation techniques.

  Gabriel wondered how Garth would go about asking One Bullet Man if he knew the Red Priest’s whereabouts. He’ll probably be really subtle…there is a crowd of humans here after all.

  “Alright! We have a brave challenger!” The emcee declared happily as he waved his hand in Garth’s direction. “What’s your name?”

  “Just call me Scarface.” Garth said.

  “Place your bets, everyone. Who do you think will win? Mr. Armstrong or Scarface?” The emcee waited for Garth and One Bullet Man to take their fighting stances before giving the go-ahead. “Fighters…begin!”

  One Bullet Man pointed his gun at Garth and smiled thinly. “You’re either very brave or very stupid, young man. Do you really think you can dodge bullets?”

  Garth shrugged, a dangerous glint in his golden eyes. “Try me.” Maximum effort.

  One Bullet Man fired his gun at Garth and the shifter stepped to the side quickly. One Bullet Man blinked in confusion. The young man in front of him had actually dodged his shot! This had never happened before. But that’s…impossible. It can only be luck. The assassin smiled creepily. “You have the devil’s luck, kid. But your luck is about to run out.”

  “Wrong.” Garth countered as he charged forward recklessly. “I am the devil.”

  One Bullet Man fired his gun at Garth again, and the shifter dodged the bullets. Garth took a bullet to the shoulder once he was finally only a foot away from One Bullet Man since he was now close enough to finally swing a punch at the assassin’s head. But One Bullet Man bent backwards, and avoided the punch, showing off his athleticism.

  Garth’s fist went flying over One Bullet Man’s torso. One Bullet Man straightened fast and holstered his gun so that he’d be able to block a kick Garth sent his way next with his forearm.

  “If it’s hand-to-hand combat you want so badly, young man - it’s hand-to-hand combat you’ll get. You’ve earned it.” One Bullet Man declared as he got into a fighting stance.

  Garth grinned at the assassin, showing off his sharp canines on purpose. “Do you know where the Red Priest is?” The shifter threw a punch One Bullet Man’s way.

  One Bullet Man frowned at the question, and blocked the punch. “The Red Priest?”

  “Don’t play dumb! Where is the Red Priest! Scumbags like you flock together. You must know where he is!” Garth flung another punch and this one had his full strength behind it.

  The assassin blocked the punch with his forearm and was surprised when his bone shattered. Hellfire! He was barely able to hold back his scream of pain.

  Gabriel scrubbed a hand down his face a
s he let out a groan. Oh man, this is how Garth carries out his interrogations? Where the hell did he get the idea to do things like this anyways?

  One Bullet Man reacted on instinct, unholstered his gun with his good hand, and fired multiple shots into Garth’s torso all at once.

  Garth’s eyes flashed red in anger as he began to stalk towards One Bullet Man. Blood oozed out of the bullet wounds on Garth’s chest and stained his white T-shirt. “Where’s the Red Priest!”

  One Bullet Man gawked at Garth; amazed he was still standing and dropped his gun. It was useless against a monster like this anyways. “I don’t know…I swear!” He put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

  Garth stopped directly in front of the assassin. “Frickin useless.” The shifter sent an uppercut into One Bullet Man’s chin that sent him flying upwards. The assassin landed on the floor, several feet away, where he lay unmoving.

  “Whoo!” “Boo!” The crowd of betting humans made a ruckus as they witnessed the outcome of the fight.

  Garth turned his sights on the group of street fighters that was still standing by. “Do any of you know where the Red Priest is?” Garth reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a crude drawing of a brown-haired man in a red priest’s robe.

  Gabriel experienced a feeling of déjà vu as he watched Garth do this, and realized that he’d seen a similar occurrence in the movie Deadpool. No more superhero movies for Garth. Gabriel decided firmly.

  The street fighters all shot each other nervous, confused looks, and shrugged as Garth stalked towards them. “Answer me!” Garth demanded before attacking the closest fighter, who was forced to fight back in order to defend himself.

  Crap’s gonna hit the fan. Gabriel thought as he rubbed his temples with his index fingers.

  The emcee could see where things were going and quickly took the initiative. “Okay, everyone, place your bets! Who will win? All of them against…Scarface!”

  “And that creep just had to encourage him.” Gabriel shook his head at the emcee.

  The street fighters attacked Garth en masse and there was instant chaos on the arena floor. Violent, merciless punches and kicks went flying through the air, and Garth dodged some but took others.

  Garth began to get serious, and his punches and kicks started to literally send men flying across the floor to the other side of the empty warehouse. The crowd of betting humans gasped at Garth’s display of superhuman strength. It was like watching an action flick.

  “WHERE IS THE RED PRIEST?” Garth roared, beginning to lose his patience.

  Gabriel was surprised Garth didn’t start beating his chest like a gorilla. “So much for keeping a low profile, crazy Scotsman.” The Archangel sighed and rubbed his temples again. He had a splitting headache at this point.

  A fighter with a mohawk took out two daggers and attacked Garth with them from behind. He imbedded both daggers into Garth’s back and the shifter roared out in pain. Garth spun around, and backhanded the man, sending him flying. Garth reached behind his back, pulled out the daggers, and tossed them aside. The bloody daggers skidded across the dusty floor.

  Garth was starting to get angry. These useless humans were beginning to really piss him off. His eyes flashed red and he felt the urge to shift into his Hellcat form rise within him. He resisted it. Barely.

  “This is not good.” Gabriel noted as he saw a few orange hairs appear on Garth’s face.

  An Asian man with a samurai sword strapped to his back approached Garth next. The swordsman unsheathed his katana and pointed it at Garth fearlessly.

  “A sword? A swordsman. Are you a Battle Priest?” Garth demanded hotly as he charged the swordsman head on. All of the Battle Priests that Garth had faced fought with swords though they were usually medieval claymores, broadswords or great swords. “Do you know where the Red Priest is?”

  The stoic swordsman silently got into a fighting stance and waited for Garth’s approach. Garth sent a straight right towards the man’s face while the swordsman lunged his sword into Garth’s stomach. The swordsman was punched and sent flying back.

  Garth looked down at the sword stuck in his stomach, pulled it out, and tossed it aside. The swordsman scrambled to his feet, ran to fetch his sword, and then charged Garth from behind. He hadn’t given up just yet.

  Hellfire! Even Garth will die if he’s decapitated. “Garth! Look out behind you!” Gabriel called out a warning.

  Garth spun and caught the blade with his bare hand. The shifter clenched his hand around the sword and the katana’s blade shattered. The swordsman sunk to his knees in defeat. Garth glared down at the swordsman with a murderous look in his golden eyes. “Where is he?”

  The swordsman frowned, shook his head helplessly, and finally spoke. “I don’t know.”

  Garth let out a roar of frustration and reached his hands out towards the swordsman. He was probably intending to crush the man’s skull with his bare hands, Gabriel realized. “No, Garth. Enough.” The angel put his hand on Garth’s chest, stopping him in his tracks. “None of these guys know anything. Let’s get the hell out of here before you end up shifting.”

  Garth was breathing heavily and he took deep gulping breaths as he tried to calm himself down. “Screw it…you’re right. These guys are useless. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Garth turned and stalked towards the exit. Crap. Another dead end. This underground fight club was another bust.

  No one tried to stop Garth as he left the warehouse. And Garth forgot to ask the emcee for the money he’d won. Once outside, Garth mounted his Ducati, turned on the engine, and headed back to his candy shop Helltastic Confectionary. The candy shop took up the first floor of a three-story building that Garth was renting. Garth lived on the second floor and the third floor served as his own personal training room and gym.

  Less than half an hour later, Garth was parking his Ducati outside of his shop. He opened the door to his shop and shut the door behind him. He began to head towards the back, but ended up collapsing on the floor. Ah, blood loss. Crap. He’d just have to lie there and regenerate. He could feel his body pushing out the bullets and healing. Ouch.

  He’d failed his fellow shifters again. God, I’m so pathetic. Why can’t I remember where that fight club was…dang it. Why do all these fight clubs look the same?

  Garth ended up passing out on the floor, and then he dreamed of the past. Five centuries ago, when he’d found himself lying in the middle of a stone henge somewhere in the Scottish Highlands without his memories.

  To be continued in…Candy 2: Bubblegum Pink