kinda foggy on the details.” Sighing, Blaze grazed her fingers across her wrapped
shoulder. “We all exhausted our energy to keep fighting.”
They had to. It was the only way they could"ve gotten out alive.
She took in a slow breath to fill her lungs then push out a tad of her pain on
the exhale. “How"s Jade?”
Blaze shook her head. “Physically, she"s fine, well except for the leg, but…”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and rested her hand on her injured shoulder. “Once
she woke up and realized what happened at the temple wasn"t just a bad dream…”
Blinking back the rise of tears, Copper nodded in understanding.
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Blaze looked away as she continued. “She"s hard as a rock right now. She"s
holding in her emotions. If she doesn"t release the pain, she"s going to self
destruct.”
“Give her time. You know we all have our own way of dealing with the inner
pain. She"ll break sooner or later. We"ll just have to be there to give her support
when she does, to help her press on.” Copper fell silent and smiled at the sound of
Spade"s laughter coming from the other room. “What happened after I dropped?”
she asked, vaguely remembering the moment when everything went black.
Blaze snickered, but not in humor. “I dropped…then, from what the guys tell
me, Jade dropped soon after.” She leaned back in the chair and stretched her legs
out. “They carried us to the nearest town where somebody was nice enough to give
us a ride to the hospital.” Blaze started to unhook the straps that bound her to the
bed. “Before the nurses even had a chance to prep us for the emergency surgery we
were supposed to have, the doctors started asking questions…” Blaze pushed out of
the chair and held onto her arm to help her sit up. “Questions about the black
substance we were covered in when we arrived at the hospital.”
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her abdomen, Copper let Blaze ease her up
into an upright position. “And they told the doctors, what exactly?”
“They didn"t tell them anything.” Blaze lowered back into the chair. “They
went into ninja formation and snuck us out of the hospital.”
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Copper chuckled helplessly then cringed at the tinge of pain.
“I"m still trying to figure out how they got all three of us out of the hospital
without getting caught.”
“C"mon Blaze, you know we run with the sneakiest blokes around.”
“Seriously,” she murmured in agreement. “But anyway, when I woke up, we
were in Tokyo.”
“Tokyo? You"d think they were running on my speed. So when are we going
back to the States?”
“Steel is getting the info from Father Shannon right now. I think we"re going
to be out of here before nightfall.”
“Good, because I got a feeling those damn demons are going to come after
us.”
“Oh yeah, about that,” Blaze sighed. “They"re gathering as we speak. Quest
sensed them before they even hit this area code.”
“No lie? Then why aren"t they attacking?”
Blaze tilted her head back and closed her eyes. “Do you feel the spiritual
pressure all around us?”
“Chicky, I could be dead and would still feel that pressure.”
An amused smirk crept across Blazes"s lips as she opened her eyes. “That"s
the spiritual barrier set by the shrine keepers who were nice enough to take us in.”
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Blaze shifted her gaze from the ceiling to her. “Locked up tight. The devil himself
couldn"t cross this barrier.”
“Bloody fuckin" right! But then that leaves the question, how are we going to
get out of here?”
Blaze nodded in acquiescence, staring at the taupe colored wall. “Good
question.”
Fabian entered the room carrying an arm full of medical supplies with the
lady of the house behind him. While Fabian organized the supplies on the table
next to the bed, the short, rotund woman came to her side and dabbed her brow
and temple with a cold cloth.
“This is Mrs. Kahuro, the shrine keeper,” Blaze informed.
Copper closed her eyes and accepted the soothing relief of the woman"s
tender care. “Thank you Mrs. Kahuro. Tell her I said thanks, Blaze.”
Fluent in Japanese, Chinese and of course Korean, Blaze uttered a series of
words in Japanese, which brought an appreciative smile to the woman"s face. She
turned to Blaze and murmured merrily in response to her thanks.
“She said she"s honored to be called upon to help God"s chosen battle angels
and would die doing so if that is what"s requested of her.” The woman cradled
Copper"s face, kissed her forehead and whispered sweetly to her. “She said the…”
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Blaze"s brow arched in confusion. “That the half-breed will need us to keep her on
the path of righteousness and we are to stay by her side no matter what.”
Blaze rested a hand on the woman"s shoulder and questioned her in her
native tongue. Gently, she patted Blaze"s cheek. A warm smile lingered on her face
as she left the room.
“I have no idea what that was about.” Crossing the room, Blaze scratched
her head. “Who is the half breed?”
“Dragon Queen,” Quest answered from the other side of the thin door. “I
figure that"s why we were picked to retrieve her weapons and amulet. We"re
connected to her somehow, and I think maybe she knows that now. That"s why
she hit us with that surge, but she didn"t do it alone—ay Blaze, hold Cop down so
Fabe can pull out the tiny, silicone dick. We need to get this meeting on the way.”
“Tiny silicone dick? What the shite is he going on about, Blaze?” Her eyes
shifted from the door to Fabian just in time to see him slip his hands into a pair of
purple rubber gloves. “Blaze, tell me something before I drop this android.”
“Oh. Uh, Fabian"s been taking care of our, uh, medical needs,” Blaze
stammered quickly.
Fabian pulled on the bottom of the gloves to make sure they were securely
on his hands then he drew the sheet from over Copper"s legs. She stared at Blaze in
question.
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He placed one hand on her thigh and the other on her chest. “Please lay
back, Copper.”
Copper peered down at his hand then cut a curt glare at Blaze.
“Oh yeah, and Quest programmed our war names into his system. So he"s
not always saying Lieutenant this and Sergeant that,” Blaze expressed with a
playful grin. “Isn"t that cool?”
“I don"t give a shite about that.” Copper eyed his purple gloved hands on her
thigh. “What is he doing?”
Blaze rolled her slanted eyes. “Just lay back and I"ll explain it to you.”
Copper slowly did as requested, staring into Fabian"s impassive face. Once
her head touched the pillow, he slid his hand higher up her thigh. “Please part your
legs.”
“What!” she exclaimed, lifting her head. She ignored the jolt of pain singeing
her from the sudden movement.
“Just open your legs,” Blaze ordered, looking like she was trying to hold
back laughter. “Stop being difficult.”
“Why—why does he need my legs open? Is he trying to feel me up
or
something? What kind of android is he?”
Blaze couldn"t hold in the laughter anymore. “He has…to remove…the
catheter,” she confessed in between giggles.
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“Catheter!”
The word hadn"t even left her mouth completely before Fabian forced her
thighs apart and carefully, but swiftly removed the tiny silicone dick. She gasped as
he held up the long tube which had been lodged inside of her urethra a second ago.
“You let him put a tube in my vajayjay?” she asked, glaring at Blaze. “In my
vajayjay!”
“He had to! You know you sleep wild. This is nothing new. You battle
demons in your sleep. Come on Cop, you see he had to strap you to the bed,” she
explained, pulling on the straps. “Your injuries were worse than any of ours, so you
had to be locked down while the healer"s force worked through you, to keep you
alive. And besides that, we didn"t want you urinating all over yourself, so in went
the catheter.”
“Blimey…” Copper eyes grew big when Fabian pulled a large clear bag of
yellowish liquid from under the bed. “Is that my pee?”
Nodding, Blaze snickered.
“Bloody hell,” she uttered, watching him leave the room with bag. “You
didn"t let the guys see my goods, did you?”
A wicked smirk crossed Blaze"s face.
“Did you?” Copper shouted, narrowing her eyes to slits.
“Of course not, silly.”
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There was a deep chuckle from the other room. “I always wondered if the
carpet matched the drapes,” Quest jested smoothly.
“You fuckin" twat!” she screeched at the closed door.
Blaze shot out of the chair. “Shut up, Quest! Don"t listen to him. He"s just
joking, Copper. No one but Fabe saw your goodies.”
Like that made her feel better. Some hot android guy getting up close and
personal with her snatch. Fabulous!
“So can we come in yet?”
“Not if you don"t want my foot up your tight Latino arse!” she shouted,
drawing the sheets over her legs.
Leaning against the door frame, Quest slid the door open. “Chill out, mami.
Ya know I love you whether the drapes match or not. And besides, I think a fire
crotch is sexy,” he crooned, a mischievous glint in his steel grey eyes.
Offering him her middle finger, she slowly sat up. “Cheeky bastard.”
Mrs. Kahuro entered the room with a large shapely bottle surrounded by
five small ceramic cups set on a circular tray. “Sake,” she chimed with a smile.
Spade rushed into the room with Steel on his heels. “Sake? You"re so talking
my language, Mrs. Kahuro.” Spade embraced the blushing woman, grabbed a cup
and took it down in on gulp. He grimaced and shook his head wildly, causing his
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golden curls to bounce about, then he clapped his hands. “Okay dude! Now I"m
ready to talk about the ass whipping we got back at the temple.”
“No lie, buey. That was embarrassing. But look at it this way…” Quest
reached over and retrieved a cup, winking at Mrs. Kahuro. “We could be dead.”
With her cheeks burning red, the woman bowed, then quickly shuffled out
of the room.
Copper snorted and pursed her lips. “Oh, for fuck sake, would you wankas
stop flirting with our hostess.”
Huffing heavily, Steel sat on the floor, bent his leg and rubbed his forehead.
“Let"s get serious people. The block is hot outside and Father Shannon just told me
the ministry"s jet will arrive in six hours.”
“Six hours? That"s too close to night fall, Captain. There"ll be more demons.”
Blaze drew the curtains and peered out the window. “I can"t see them, but I know
they"re there.”
“Oh, they"re definitely there,” Quest attested, wrinkling his nose. “Bet on
that.”
“Well six hours is a lot better than forty-eight, so that"s what we"re gonna
work with.” Groaning, Steel pushed the back of his head against the wall. “Super
demons huh? With powers nonetheless?”
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“They don"t usually roll like that, big boy. Somebody was feeding them
power to take us out.” Quest leaned against the wall and crossed his ankles. “A
warlock is behind this shit. I felt his presence when we went underground to get
the girls.”
“That"s probably who conjured the portal,” Blaze added.
“No doubt.” Steel ran his fingers over his cornrows. “We have to hit the first
weaponry cache when we get back to the States. And we have to get with base to
let „em know „bout the new breed, see if they can come up with something to take
out those big creepas a lot quicker. But I don"t know how we"re going to deal with
this warlock. I just wish I would"ve known what we were up against before I
pulled ya"ll out on this mission.”
“Ay, we ain"t complaining Cap,” Spade offered, partaking in another cup of
Sake.
“No we"re not,” Copper averred. “We"re always up for a challenge. You know
that. And at least now we know what"s happening to all those missing girls.”
They all nodded.
“It"s bad enough to know. Let"s not even talk about it,” Spade groaned,
retrieving a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
here.”
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“Aw c"mon, dude! I haven"t had a smoke since we left the temple! I"m on
edge, can"t you see?”
“Bloody right,” Copper expressed. “I think I"m going to go stark raving mad
if I don"t get a ciggy soon.”
“Neither one of you is smoking „til we get back to the states, especially you
Copper. Now back to business. Let"s talk about that surge. Quest, you say it was
the Dragon Queen…”
“Wait, where"s Jade?” Blaze asked, glinting toward the door. “She needs to
be here to hear this.”
“She needed some time alone,” Quest mumbled, reaching for another cup of
Sake. He tossed the warm liquid down his throat and sucked in a sharp gust of air.
“A"ight the Dragon Queen…From what I perceive, her power is immature „cause she
hasn"t gotten a hold on it yet, but it was still mind blowing, to say the least.”
“Dude, mind blowing ain"t even scratching the surface. I"m still buzzing
from that blow,” Spade confessed, adjusting the crotch of his pants.
“Quest, if her power has not fully evolved, tell me, how was she able project
energy into not one, but six Andausians with so much strength. Could you please
hand me a drink, Blaze.” Steel gestured toward the tray of Sake. “I swear I almost
had an orgasm,” he uttered, gently taking the cup from Blaze.
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“Almost? Dude, there was no almost for me. She pulled a hardcore nut out of
me on impact.” Spade"s icy blue eyes glazed in awe. “Just point me in the direction
of the Lady Dragon „cause I"m dying to get an encore. Rock on!”
“God, you"re a dizzy bugga,” Copper murmured, casting a humorous glance
at Blaze.
“Not cool, kitty. You"re not gonna make me think I"m the only one who got
sexual satisfaction from that charge. Show of hands, who busted a big fat juicy nut
be
sides me?”
“Naw Spade,” Quest interjected, scratching his head. “We all felt the sexual
elements of it. It"s the help she had, her lover, I think. That"s how she knew to
project the energy into me. She knew my spirit would pass it to the rest of the
team.” He wiggled his fingers in the air, a habitual tendency when he was in
thought. “She was confused, scared. There was a lotta shit running through her
mind at the time. I think—and I"m just spit balling it here—I don"t think she knew
who she was until that moment.”
“That seems a little impossible after what she did to us,” Blaze muttered,
picking at the wrapping on her shoulder.
“Nada es imposible.” Quest pushed off the wall and rubbed his chin. “What
scares me about the whole thing is that the charge she hit us with was laced with a
ton of dark energy. At first, I thought she was an angel, but now, I don"t know.”
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“If that"s the case then why did Mrs. Kahuro, a shrine keeper and a follower of the
light, tell us we had to stay close to her?” Blaze questioned with an arched brow. “I
don"t mean to question your skills, brother, but I don"t think she"d tell us to stay
close to someone laced with evil. Or better yet, I don"t think we"d be connected
with someone casting dark energy. The logic is twisted.”
“Twisted?” Quest cut his eyes at her. “Not all creatures who possess dark
energy are evil.”
The whole team stared at him liked he"d just dropped out of the sky. He
dipped his head and rustled his hair.
“Blimey!” Copper gasped, shattering the awkward silence. “What planet are
you living on?”
“Seriously dude. We"ve been battling the supernatural for years and I
haven"t run into one that"s good hearted yet.”
“Just „cause you ain"t run by one doesn"t mean they don"t exist. You can"t just
judge all of them like that. If we"re going to do it that way, then we might as well
take a closer look at the Andausians we come across,” Quest argued. “Let"s put it
out on the table, since we"re on the topic. We"re all supposed to be descendants of
angels, but the majority of the Andausians use their powers for personal gain and
some of them even kill people. Isn"t that evil?”