Free Tears of Blood by Simone Beaudelaire Page B

stunt.
    Here in the desert, any shimmering
lights on the city streets were dismissed as tricks of the heat, or of the neon
lights which altered the environment at all hours.
    The Assassin was fairly sure which
naphil was under surveillance tonight. The big black half-angel Lucien had been
sent to roust out a nest of succubae hidden inside a brothel which masqueraded
as a strip club.
    Intelligence suggested at least five
demonesses were hiding behind that neon sign. It would be a lot for the naphil
to handle alone, and it had been decided that backup was needed. He would not
be thankful, but the command had been unequivocal.
    Arriving at the club, The Assassin
slipped through the door, unnoticed by a burly bouncer with blond hair and
bulging muscles. IT seemed he had been selected more for show than intelligence
or skill.
    Inside the dim interior, it was easier
to track the shimmer past the dance floors where three women and a succubus
were twisting, half-naked, around poles embedded in the floor and ceiling. They
progressed through a beaded curtain, to a back room where men sat on chairs
while naked girls squirmed and twisted on their laps. In the corner, one
overweight succubus soaked in the lust. So immersed was she in the spectacle of
the lap dancers that she did not recognize the angelic being in front of her
until it was too late.
    The lights dimmed as the sword,
cleverly concealed in the fluorescent lighting, thrust into her bloated belly.
A shriek, perceived by mortals – including The Assassin – as the
squeal of brakes, pierced the night.
    And then, without pausing, the
naphil moved on, past a doorway emblazoned with a sign reading "employees
only." The Assassin sneaked in just as the door swung shut. Inside were
five beds. In three of them, succubae were feeding on the lust of men with whom
they were copulating. These demonesses were more aware than their friend, and
they quickly abandoned their prey, converging on three sides of the glimmering
creature, claws and fangs extended.
    The naphil materialized quickly. As
The Assassin had suspected, it was Lucien. His sword flashed, but the wary,
serpentine women dodged his parries, ducking in to slash at him while his
attention was diverted. It was quickly becoming obvious he would need help.
    On the bed, the men lay all but
dead, drained of their will. Lucien and The Assassin had been too late to save
them... well almost.
    Pulling a short knife from the belt
of the costume, The Assassin quickly put the three drones out of their misery
with a quick slash across the throat, then approached the battle.
    The angel was tiring, and only one
succubus was bleeding. As two engaged him from before, one sneaked in behind,
attempting to hamstring him.
    The Assassin flew into action,
sliding across the polished wood floor on soft-soled shoes and thrusting the
dagger into the demon woman’s spine.
    She shrieked as she died, bursting
into golden dust, and the other two stopped dead, wondering what had happened.
    That pause was all Lucien needed to
finish them both.
    He then turned towards the small
figure before him, his eyes narrowed. "Why are you here, Assassin?"
    "I never know the reason,
Naphil. I go where I am sent, and do what I can to help."
    "I do not need help from a
human."
    The Assassin did not point out that
he was clearly not correct, at least not this time. Enraging a semi-divine
being was not a healthy thing to do.  "I’ll just go then. Good
luck, sir."
    The naphil nodded.  The
Assassin drew arms around and muttered the words which would cause relocation.
    Eyes closed against the dizzying
sensation of such rapid movement,The Assassin shifted. The artificial light of
the city gave way to the burning red of the desert. At the edge of the Mojave,
a silver travel trailer baked in the sun.
    A small, red-haired woman with green
eyes climbed down the stairs, a welcoming smile on her face.
    "Oh, there you are, my
dear." She wrapped her arms around the figure, "What