Demon's Blood

Loosing Myself

Their base is plain silver metal, set into the ground. There are no furnishings in the lobby besides a weapon rack and security terminal. Koa and I place our tool belts on the weapon rack and are patted down. I try not to punch the man inspecting me in the face as he gropes along my chest, reaching between my skin and the fabric covering it. I stare him down and he mutters an apology.

"I have to check everywhere."

He eyes the top of my jeans and I glare at the top of his head.

"Are you kidding me? No way!"

One of the girls escorting us flicks his temple and he stumbles back.

"Sorry 'bout him he's a bugger."

I hear a slight accent in her voice and her word choice is unusual to me, and I fail at trying to place it. She walks in front of us and leads us past the terminal. I hear gunshots in the distance and flinch.

"Don't worry love. It's just the initiates training."

I nod and we turn the corner into a room lined with cots.

"Please make yourselves comfortable and I'll send in a doctor."

She leaves Koa and me in the room and I start to inspect the small beds. Each has a repulsive element to it. Blood stain there, vomit stain there, white liquid there, dust there. I finally find a clean bed and begin to lay down. I settle into the pillows and sigh, resting my sore muscles. I feel a dent in the bed next to me and I crack my eyelids open. Koa is wavering on the bed next to me. I feel a sigh escape my lips and I offer for him to lie down.

"Sorry, I know it's weird but-"

"Doesn't matter, please don't mention it."

I see the muscles in his legs relax and he kicks them up onto the space beside mine. His body falls next to my own and I feel the heat emanating off his skin. He leans backward and for a moment I feel rage toward him, thinking he is repulsed by being close to me. Then I realize he is falling from the bed.

I wrap an arm around his waist and his earlier closed eyes open in an instant. A smile tugs at his lips and he moves towards me. I feel a flutter in my stomach as his skin presses against me and I bite down on my lip. Hard. Hard enough for blood to fill my mouth. We freeze like that, our skin melting together and our breath mixing.

"Uhm."

He presses a strong finger against my thin lips and whispers to me.

"Shh."

My heart nearly jumps out of my mouth as he leans closer. He moves his finger and I watch as his lips advance towards my own. My chest expands with the huge breath I suck in and I hold it, afraid of pushing him even a millimeter away. His lips are just a moment away. A nurse walks into the room and he jerks back, falling backward off the cot. I release my breath and clutch my fingers to my chest. The nurse's mouth curves into a smile as she helps Koa up and onto the bed next to mine.

"A pair of lovers eh?"

"No!"

Koa and I shout in unison and turn away from each other. The nurse presses a hand to her mouth, seemingly stifling a laugh. Then she walks to Koa and begins to examine his body, typing on her handheld screen. I nestle into the white pillows supporting my back. I can feel my breath even out and my eyelids drift together. I am asleep in moments, and my dreams are filled with images of Koa.

When I wake, I am wrapped in clear white gauze and metal rods to hold my bones in place. I am in clean black clothes, stylish but practical. I rub the sleep from my eyes with my good hand and notice just how many injuries I actually retained. I wince as I sit up and slip my sneakers on.

Koa is wrapped in even more bandages than I am and grief spills into my mix of emotions. I walk around his cot and kneel before him. His eyelids flutter open and he smiles at me. Then he moves and his face contorts into a grimace. I help him up and steady him on his feet. We take each other in and smile at each other apologetically. My voice is feeble as I speak to him.

"Can I... talk to you privately?"

He nods and stumbles after me as I walk into the hall. I grab the arm of a nearby nurse and ask her if we are restricted to any areas. She shakes her head and I smile and thank her for her help. I look around and drag Koa after me as I limp through the hallway.

I find a janitor's closet and open the door, pushing Koa's tall lanky frame into the small space. I follow and lock the door behind us. Our bodies press together in the tiny closet and we both wince. A smile spreads like warm butter across my face and I take his hands in mine. His first words of the day cause a fierce blush to creep up to my cheekbones.

"Seven minutes of heaven? First thing in the morning? Hell yea."

"Shut up you perve."

I sock him in his good arm and he pouts. I take back my former statement with one word.

"Well..."

"Ah hah! So you do want me."

"Shut up you are ruining the moment."

"I am so sorry, I wasn't trying to..."

Sadness flickers across his handsome features and I feel a pang of regret.

"Well, it's kind of hard not to be happy right now so I guess that isn't true."

He chuckles and snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me even closer. I feel every piece of him against every piece of me and my skin burns. He tucks his other hand under my chin and pulls. I face him and stare into his hazel eyes.

Beads of sweat gather on my forehead and I feel the breath catch in my throat again. He leans into me, but pulls away in the last second to kiss my cheek. A surge of disappointment flies through me and I open my mouth to make a smart ass remark.

Then I feel his lips encasing mine and my knees go weak. His strong arm around me holds me steady. His tongue flicks along mine and my heart is beating too fast. I wrap my arms around his neck and tug him even closer. I mash my lips against his and loose myself in my pleasure.