Dog Days of Summer (Damned of the 2/19th Book Four) - Finished

The Ghost and the Witch

Red Barn Resturaunt & Lounge

Grand Mound, Washington

United States of America

8 August, 1986

2315 Hours

        Biana's hand grabbed my wrist, her other hand grabbing my belt and pushing me back down into my seat. Diare grabbed my other wrist, loosely, staring me in the eyes. Glendan scooted over, blocking them from my sight.

        "He's stuck in kill-mode." Westlin said, leaning over to faux-whisper in Briana's ear. Her forearm, resting on the table, had Briana's whiskey glass sticking through it, her arm intangible. "He has been for weeks."

        "What happened?" Briana asked, not taking her eyes away from me. I felt a warm, syrupy feeling spreading from where her hand was touching my bare skin. "Tell me, spirit."

        "His levels are bad. Exposure to chemical weapons, radiation, and counter-measures." Westlin dimed me out. "Your sister kisses him often, as a kelly, not a lover, so he's got a lot of venom in his system."

        "Anthony, listen to me, this won't do Niamh any good." Diare was saying. I could barely hear him over the roaring noise in my ears.

        All three of them were grinning. Jessie laughed at something that Reggie said, and I just knew it had to do with Jessie sharing my sister with the corn-fed scumbag.

...move in. grab the beer bottle in front of the skinny logger at stool five. break the wide part of the bottle. move in on Jessie, grab his hair to pull his head to the side, slash his throat in one quick motion, stab the broken parts under Lonnie's sternum, pivot, grab Reggie, take the damage they'd be trying to deal out, break Reggie's neck, then... then...

        Glendan switched seats quickly, pushing me against Briana, who was holding onto my wrist. When I looked at Glendan, opening my mouth to tell him to move, she lifted my hand up and bit the inside of my wrist, and the honey sweet feeling poured down my arm. I tried to pull my arm away from her, turning to look at her, but she grabbed the back of my head and pulling me down for a kiss. I had my mouth open to tell her to let go of me, to tell her to order her cousins to move, and her tongue darted into my mouth. Her eyes were closed as she melted against me, her hand holding onto the wrist she had bitten pulling my hand around so that my open hand, which I was trying to pull from her grip, cupped her full breast.

        "Keep him distracted, Briana. A good set of tits can shut his brain completely down." Westlin chuckled. "I've seen Nagle make him just trail off into silence mid-sentence just by stretching."

        "Fuck." Glendan's voice was harsh. "Go on. Go. Come on."

        "Can you hold him?" Diare asked. I felt her shrug as I closed my eyes, melting into the kiss. Her breast was heavy, soft, and warm in my hand. Different from an Aine's breast enough that I didn't connect it with the warm soft feeling moving up my arm and into my chest, a much different feeling from the tingling and burning feeling of either the younger or the older Aine's venom.

        "That's right, keep walking." Glendan whispered, anger in his voice.

        Aine's venom, mixed with her daughter's, the Sticky Bromide in my system, the experimental SSRI in my system, and the after effects of the last year combined with the feel of Briana's body against mine. The lizard's talons retracted, he made a purring noise, and his tail relaxed as Briana moved against my hand and body. My other hand reflexively put the cigarette in the ashtray before seeking out Briana. I could feel her pulse, feel her heartbeat in the soft, warm flesh against my hand.