Clair de Lune

21. Bunker

The boys let out a few gruff noises as they pushed open the slabs of the mausoleum, letting in the growing rays of the rising sun. I held my hand in the air to keep them out of my eyes, the warmth touching my mutilated skin gently. It smelled like fresh rain and I took as deep of a breath as I could before turning back to the group.

The first thing I saw was Osiris. She was taller than me, built with round hips and muscular legs, her larger chest held back by a tarnished golden breastplate and the tatters of some crimson cloth. Her skin was sun kissed and dark, surrounded by deep, inky tattoos of hieroglyphs. The eyes that met mine were pure molten gold, filled with nothing but gratitude. Osiris had hair the same hue as mine practically, with tighter curls that fell to her waist. She gave me a nod and I took my eyes off of her only to land on the other new member of our soiree. Murmur was clothed in simple cloth pants and nothing else, revealing lines of what appeared to be music notes curling around his right arm. They faded as they crossed his chest, leaching into what looked to be a brand over his heart. It struck me as off and I realized why only a few seconds later.

"You're Murmur, one of the Great Dukes and Earls of Hell with thirty legions of the damned under your command..." I whispered and his lips twitched up in a wry smile, "you're a demon."

"Glad to see you've heard of me." Murmur winked, his voice gruff and somewhat scratchy like a smokers'.

"You're a soldier, you're absolutely dangerous." I laughed nervously as I recanted the verses from the Bible I'd had burned into my mind.

"Everyone here is dangerous love," his eyes swept the small crowd before settling on mine, "I just happen to come from a place where danger is the norm."

"He's no more dangerous than Arcane is," Marshall butted in, pushing past us as he walked towards the gate, obviously still ticked off, "come on, we can't sit here dawdling while PASCI gets ready to rip into our behinds."

I shut my mouth and nodded, taking off after him and finding ourselves walking at a fast pace to get to a stretch of forest. Within it held the truck he'd had before, hidden out of view perfectly. The only problem though?

"Shit," Marshall hissed, "there's only room for five, two of you got to sit in the bed."

"I'll take it," I offered, "I'm a living fire, I won't get cold."

"I'll sit with her." Osiris piped up, her ancient voice laden with a dormant power. He nodded and ushered everyone else into the truck while her and I hopped in the bed, scooting up to the window and resting against the cab. The engine roared to a start and we took off.

The streets were less than busy today, seeing as we were on the outskirts of town and surrounded on one side by a forest. I looked over at Osiris every once in a while, finding her staring at me with mixed emotions in those golden eyes of hers. She was starting to look better than when I'd first seen her, her eyes less sunken and her skin no longer hanging off of her bones.

"Thank you."

Her voice caught my attention. I smiled at her, finding that I felt more comfortable with the woman that I had been around other females in the past.

"Of course," I told her, "a promise is a promise. I would never have forgiven myself if I left you."

"You're a woman of your word, I respect that." Osiris nodded. "Your real name is Agnes, right? Why use the name those bastards gave you?"

"Agnes was a girl who was afraid of a little old lady and thunder. I'm not her anymore." A smile tugged on the edges of my lips when I looked out over the horizon again.

"Ah the thunder, how I've missed it." She chuckled, smiling as she leaned her head on the railing. "Seth loved it when I made it rain in Cairo. Everyone did."