Ecstasy of Gold - Ch. 12

Tasha was sitting on Constance’s bed, wondering where she was. At first, she was worried she was sick somewhere, but she knew Patch would be with her. That meant she was somewhere else, completely fine. Or was she? She hated not knowing, her mind racing through all the possibilities.

“Is something wrong, my child?” Tasha jumped slightly when she realized Yu’lena spoke English. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…”

“It’s okay…” Tasha cleared her throat. She was embarrassed by how easily she was frightened. “Where did you learn English?”

“Your friend, Miss Constance, actually.” Yu’lena put her bible back on the table next to her. “You seem worried. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not unless you know where Constance went…”

“Oh, I believe she went in to see Mister Hunter. She was quite worried about him when he showed so badly injured.” Yu’lena felt slightly awkward as Tasha seemed to stare at her intently. “Is something else wrong?”

“I…I was just wondering how old you were…”

“I am fifty-seven Rae years old…around fifty-nine for your years, though I can’t remember if you add or subtract years for human years…Maybe…Fifty-four?”

“You look pretty good for being so old…uh…not that you’re ancient or anything…” Tasha bit her lip, not believing what she said.

“I’m feeling reasonably old right now…” She groaned slightly, readjusting herself in bed. “It’ll be a couple more days before I can even get out of bed…”

“Well, that’ll be in time for my birthday party. I’d be honored if you came.”

“I’m sure you’d have more fun at your party without an old, tired priestess…” Tasha held her hand up to stop Yu’lena from dumping on herself.

“Really, it’d be nice. Maybe it’d help you feel better, too. You can have some cake, maybe some drinks…”

“I’m going to have to insist on getting you a gift, though.” Tasha leaned towards her on the bed.

“You don’t have to…”

“I know, but I wouldn’t feel right…besides, I can make it for you.”

“Alright…but don’t…” Before she could finish, Constance came out of Hunter’s room, closing the door behind her. She was blushing slightly across her cheeks and nose, fixing her gown so it hung properly. She was smiling from ear to ear. “Connie…err…” Tasha remembered she wanted to keep the name special and only between them. “Constance...you look like the cat that caught the canary…”

“I’m in heaven…” She spun around slightly. “Can you two keep a secret from Master Ariis?”

“Of course, Miss Constance. My word is my bond.” Yu’lena said, putting her hand on her bible.

“…I don’t have anything NEARLY as dramatic as that, but you know me…” Constance sat down on the bed next to Tasha, holding her hand. She looked into her eyes. She wasn’t sure how she’d take what she was about to say, or how Yu’lena would take it. Still, it was all she could do from yelling it in joy down the hallway.

“Hunter and I just made love…”

“What?!” Tasha gasped. “Ariis is going to kill you if she finds out…”

“I know, but the weird thing is…I don’t care.” Constance sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “I never knew sex felt so good…I didn’t feel like…like my organs were going burst…even the first pains were worth it…” Yu’lena was quiet and contemplative, trying to decide how to respond to everything. Tasha couldn’t stop.

“So, what? You’re going to sneak around Ariis’ back and…” Tasha censored herself in front of Yu’lena, “…sleep with Hunter whenever he wants? Be his slave, too?” Tasha did her best to avoid sounding angry to Constance, but it was no use. “What if he gets you pregnant? What if Ariis forces your kid to be a sex slave one day?”

“No, it’s…” Constance was going to bite her thumb again, but stopped, running her fingers through her hair again. She was going much faster now. “It was really a one-time thing…It wasn’t going to get more perfect than this time…and besides, I’ve never got pregnant before…I’ve never even had a ‘close-call’…”

“I’m sorry…” Tasha put her arms around Constance, holding her close and rubbing her shoulders. “Don’t let my stupid bitching ruin your perfect moment…”

“Tasha, you’re…you could never…” She buried her face in Tasha’s chest. “I love you, Tasha…”

“I love you too, Constance…” Tasha sighed slightly. “I’m glad Hunter could make you feel so good.”

“Oh god…You have no idea what it’s like…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know…” Tasha groaned, use to people making fun of her being a virgin now.

“No, I mean…the utter joy of it…Making love to someone you love…being so close to them…feeling their heartbeat…” Constance sighed a heavy, fulfilled sigh. “His hands were a little rough and his beard was prickly, but still…heaven…”

“That’s…nice, Miss Constance…” Yu’lena said after Tasha was silent for a little too long. Constance didn’t like that Tasha was so silent and started to worry.

“Well, Tasha?”

“I’m a virgin, Constance…Rough hands, prickly beards…it’s really not what I like anyway…you know…” Constance nodded, running her fingers through her hair. “You know, I thought the whole reason we had you in here was so you wouldn’t have to have sex with anyone…”

“…involuntarily…Ariis was going to kill me if she kept making me…” Constance looked over at Yu’lena. “We’ll talk about it later…”

“You don’t have to be ashamed, dear. I know about sex…” Yu’lena said, adjusting herself in her bed again. Her bones ached and creaked as she settled back in.

“I can’t be one of your maidens now, can I?”

“You can still be one of my maidens…” Yu’lena said, bending the rules a little for Constance. She wanted Constance to be happy, and that’s all that mattered, not some rules. “It’s a good thing you were not trying to be a High Priestess, though…”

“That’s good…” Constance hated how awkward the silence with Tasha felt. She held Tasha’s hands, looking into her emerald green eyes. She couldn’t believe how amazing her eyes were, and how dull and unnatural her own silver eyes had to look. She hated being an augment. “You know, I’m free for the next couple of days…We could go back to your quarters and have a sleepover...I’ve never had a sleepover…”

“I’m afraid that’s going to be impossible.” Patch jumped between Tasha and Constance. “I have far too many tests to run for you to leave.”

“But that was just a lie…” Tasha growled. “We were giving Constance…”

“She is suffering from exhaustion, and Princess Ariis requested that I researched a medical condition Miss Constance has…” Patch hovered towards Tasha more. “You may stay, but she is not leaving.”

“Alright…” Tasha groaned, pushing Patch back with her hand. He swayed slightly as he tried to stay level. “If you don’t mind me taking one of the beds, then I won’t complain.”

“Go ahead, though take one of the non-scanner beds. I’d hate to fill up my data banks scanning you all night when you’re healthy.”

“Alright…I’ll be right back, Constance, I…”

“Perhaps now would be a good time to replace your cybernetic leg?” Tasha groaned, slumping forward. Patch seemed to have learned to interrupt people from others always interrupting it.

“Oh no, you’re not getting me to jump under the knife with this short of notice…” She growled. “I’m going to get some things I’ll need here at night, but I’ll be right back.”

“Alright…” Constance watched Tasha leave the room. She sighed and turned to Yu’lena, and the instance Yu’lena saw her eyes, she knew she was sad. “She calls me Connie, and I love it…but I…I just can’t think of a nickname for her…”

“Give it time, maybe it will come to you.” Yu’lena felt very tired. Before her injuries, she never really got tired from just being awake. Now, she had laid in bed all day and felt drained. Still, she stayed awake for Constance. She had really taken a liking to Constance, and viewed her as her daughter. She didn’t know what to do with Hunter, though.

Was it the painkillers affecting his judgment? Constance had feelings for him. Did he take advantage of them for his own satisfaction? Or was he just fulfilling Constance’s dreams? She knew about the evil taint that was on him. She wanted to cure him of it at all costs. She could tell he was evil no longer and wanted to save him no matter what. She knew there was one thing she could do to purify him. She wasn’t going to let him go to hell, but now, with all these questions, about Constance, she wasn’t sure if she could pay the cost. She pressed the call button on the armrest of her bed, calling Patch over her.

“Robot…” She grit her teeth. “I wish to get out of this bed as soon as possible…and I know I refused your advanced medical treatments earlier, but I cannot wait any longer…Do whatever it takes to get me out of this bed as soon as possible…”

“Alright, Priestess Yu’lena, I can have you up and on your feet within a day with modern health treatments. Is that soon enough?” For a moment, Yu’lena almost thought it was being sarcastic and cynical, but knew he was incapable of being cynical.

“Yes…that’s more than…” Hal walked in the room, carrying a surprisingly large box for someone as skinny as him. He set it down on the table next to Yu’lena’s bed, catching his breath. “What’s that?”

“It’s…” He wiped his forehead. “Nearest I can tell it’s all your things…from the raider ship…” Hal stopped, tapping his chin slightly. “…English?”

“It…is a long story…” Yu’lena looked through the box. Everything was there from the ship, including her maidens’ items. Well, everything that the raiders didn’t destroy or sell. “This must weigh quite a bit…”

“Ah, well…I’m just good at moving heavy things…” He wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I’m sorry. The raiders trashed a lot of it…”

“It’s okay…I’m just glad to have it all back…and I wish to reward you with something…” She dug through the box, carefully getting out a small bag.

“You don’t have to give me anything…I mean I was on my way down here to check on my sister Karen and…”

“Nonsense, it’s a simple trinket to express my thanks…” She pulled open the bag and looked at the multicolored crystals laying inside. She couldn’t decide which one to give him, deciding he was going to have to decide himself. “Is there something you have that others don’t? Or better yet, is there something you don’t have that you want?”

“…courage.” He said, looking at the ground. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but I need courage. The Hal Hawkins maneuver? It’s because I’m a coward…I just…I just wanted to find a way to run away as fast as we possibly could.”

“Ah, then it will be O’ne then…” She pulled out a red crystal on a simple string on leather. It was octagonal, and about the size of a large silver dollar. It the center of it, it had a holographic image of a beautiful woman missing her left arm, her right arm stretched to the right and her legs directly beneath her, her feet disappearing into a blur. Her hair was short, but long enough to cover her ears. Her eyes were open, and even seemed to have an iris to them. It was far too advanced to be anything but laser etched. Hal couldn’t believe the Rae had anything like this. “She’s the goddess of courage and power. By wearing the pendant, you’ll be blessed by her…”

“Is she suppose to be missing her left arm?”

“Yes, she lost it protecting her family when she was still a mortal.” Try as she could, Yu’lena just couldn’t get comfortable. She fidgeted briefly, but couldn’t get to a position her leg didn’t hurt. “I will go into it in my teachings if your captain allows me to set up a temple on your ship.”

“I hope he does.” Hal put the necklace on, tucking it under his shirt. He figured it was worth a shot if it actually increased his courage. “It sounds cool…”

“Cool…yes.” Yu’lena knew ‘cool’ was a word of approval, though she didn’t like having her religion reduced to simply ‘cool’.

“Where did you get these pendants anyway?”

“It’s a long story, but my race has made them since the Great Crash.” Hal held the pendant, looking at it.

“Do you have one that…”


Karen was drifting in and out of consciousness as she laid in her hospital room. She stared at the ceiling, just trying to stay awake. She was sunk into self-pity. All she could think of was how hard it was for her to get boyfriends already, and now, she would have horrible disfiguring scars all over her. She didn’t realize she didn’t have a chance anyway due to her sparkling personality.

“Hey, Karen…” She recognized Hal’s voice, and didn’t bother looking at him. She had seen him for years growing up. He wouldn’t have changed yet. Still, it hurt Hal. “I heard a hyperspace demon almost got you.”

“Yeah…” She groaned with resentment. “I actually have to thank that douche Hunter for saving me…”

“Hey now, Hunter’s okay. Don’t call him a douche…”

“He STOLE my star!” She screamed at Hal. Hal grit his teeth.

“Well, I’ve got news for you. HE WAS IN THE FRONT OF THE SHIP. So, when the Ecstasy of Gold emerged from hyperspace, he saw the star FIRST.” He did his best to keep from screaming back at her, just raising his voice.

“It was MY scans that…”

“Your scans but Frank’s shortcut. But Jessie’s ship. But the priestess’s LOST MAIDENS! Not everything is about YOU!” He shook slightly. “You know what!? Everyone’s actually GLAD Hunter did it, so SHUT UP!”

“ARE YOU YELLING AT ME!? I almost die and I…ah…” She had a minor pain in her stomach, holding the large wound in it. She cringed, still talking. “…and I…”

“Shhh…I’m sorry, I’m sorry…don’t pop your stitches…” He realized he could easily upset Karen to the point where she’d disembowel herself right now. “I actually got you something from the priestess to help you…”

“Drugs?”

“Not drugs…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pendant he had gotten from Yu’lena. Instead of the red crystal like he had, it was a brown crystal. Its woman had long, flowing, wavy hair and a flowing dress that disappeared into a blur. Around her eyes, she had a blindfold that disappeared into her hair. “It’s a pendant of their goddess…or whatever, F’ve.”

“F’ve?” She looked at the crystal in her hands.

“She’s their goddess of kindness and sincerity…” Hal swallowed air. “You wear the pendant to borrow the traits of the goddess and…”

“So what?! I’m a bitch?”

“Kind of, YEAH.” She growled and threw it straight at him. He caught it, keeping it from breaking. “CAREFUL! You’ll shatter it!”

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM, you asshole!” She screamed at him. He pocketed the pendant and left. He didn’t get to the part where he said he chose it because it was literally the sister pendant of his. Still, he’d try again later. He couldn’t give up on his sister.


Kik-tik had to be alone after dealing with Sala and Zech for so long. It was stressful enough having to treat Sala, but with Zech ready to kill her at the first incident that came up, it intensified it. She went back to her quarters, wanting to get out of her armor. As soon as she was in her quarters, she locked the door. She wasn’t sure if it would stop Zech or for how long. Still, she only felt safe out of her armor with the door locked. She didn’t want Zech OR Sala stumbling upon her outside of it.

“Computer,” she said, looking up slightly at the ceiling. It made sure the computer understood it was being addressed, “monitor our passengers. If they should coming within…ten lenks of the door to my quarters, alert me.”

The computer chimed in response. With that, she could finally relax, pulling her helmet off and shaking out her long hair. She breathed a sigh of relief, her skin dewy with sweat. She took off her gauntlets next, rubbing the short, small orange feathers on the back of her neck. She stared out the window as her ship passed through the jump gate and made the jump towards the Andromeda Galaxy. She knew she was doing the right thing, saving Sala and Zech from Chizek’s family. Still, her ship could have used the upgrades the money turning them in would have gotten her. She knew it was right putting them before her greed, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

She took off the rest of her armor, flexing her arms and feathers in the open air. She had fabric around the appropriate areas for coverage, to keep her from being completely naked. They were drenched in sweat, so she slipped them off. She lowered the temperature in her quarters a few degrees so she could cool off. She flipped a switch on the consol.

“Computer, what updates have our government sent us on the current situation?” She said, collapsing onto her bed. It had been a couple weeks since she had gotten information from her government. Given all of the current happenings in the galaxy, she shouldn’t have waited so long to listen to it.

“From what we’ve been able to gather, the Terrans have lost a battle group to the strange menace that’s been attacking the space ways.”

“A BATTLE GROUP!?” She sat up. “Terrans only use battle groups in wars…”

“Affirmative. Their chatter has increased, and there are repeated references to a super weapon they’re referencing as ‘Legend’.” The computer stopped briefly, continuing after a processing period. “The Ziekes have lost two more battleships, we lost a destroyer, the Tel-Kek have lost two of their exploration vessels, and the Void Seekers lost a small battle group including two heavy cruisers and a dreadnaught. Be alert, as this the first time we’ve lost a ship to the menace attacking the other races.”

Kik-tik knew it was bad that they had lost a ship. Laumur captains rarely put their ships in danger. If they lost their ship, it was almost certainly due to an ambush. Still, the sheer power necessary to destroy the ship would be massive. For the first time since the situation began, she was actually worried about it. She laid back down on her bed.

“The weather in Telaak is a pleasant three-hundred and thirteen degrees. Plenty of space on the beaches to sun yourself, even at the most busy times.” One day, Kik-tik was going to retire to the beaches of Telaak, once she had enough money. That day was many years off, but she could wait. She’d always go back to the home world.


Eliza was suiting up to go out on the town, ready to cut through any criminals she’d run across. She was just wearing her medium armor today. It was all she needed. Heavy armor was for heavy sieges. Times when you need the extra protection more than the mobility it takes away by wearing it. Her medium armor looked much like her stealth armor, extending out and covering her more. She was looking at herself in her mirror and at a picture of her murdered girlfriend. She had always found a way to accidentally drive away her previous lovers; getting lost in her work, drinking too much, swearing, and more, but not with Sarah.

Then, there was the bombing. Eliza could still see her charred and mangled corpse. Her burnt hand reaching towards her, begging for help. She smashed the mirror with her fist. Her image mocked her. She hated herself for failing Sarah. If it wasn’t for her, Sarah would still be alive. The bastards that took her away were after Eliza, and damn the collateral damage.

Strangely, she felt herself look up. It was an odd feeling, her head moving without her telling it to. It snapped her out of her thoughts. She tried to put her helmet on, knowing it would provide some protection from the telepathic assault she was under. Her body fought her, making her drop the helmet. She grit her teeth, her legs crushing the tile underneath her as she was forced to walk forward.

She had no idea where she was going. She headed out of the building, somehow managing to not pass another living soul on the way. She hated her luck, knowing someone she ran into could save her from trudging off to her doom. She broke out into a full run, running faster than most of the cars on the nearby street. She was doing her best to resist, but her body was ignoring her commands. The concrete of the sidewalk was cracking and shattering under the massive force of her stride.

She got to where she was being forced to go. She hadn’t seen anyone around her since she lost control of herself. Usually, telepaths needed a direct line of sight to control someone as thoroughly as she was. Still, she hadn’t seen anyone yet. The door to the warehouse opened and she walked through, standing under a spotlight and a number of industrial chains and hooks. The door slammed shut, and she could hear several heavy locks whirring and slamming giant bolts into the wall. After an indeterminable wait, Paul, the man she saved the other day, walked into the room. She could barely see him since she couldn’t turn her head at all.

“She’s just as beautiful as all of the photos I have of her.” She could hear his footsteps getting slowly closer and closer to her. She saw a black shadow of a demon in the corner of the room. It was the demon of living shadow. The shadow that made its body were bleeding into the shadow of the room, not cracking off like it did in the light. “And she’s mine forever?”

“As with the power,” the shadow’s voice hissed, “providing you keep your part of our bargain.”

“Right,” Paul finally walked into Eliza’s line of sight. He was horrible, strange black veins reaching up his neck, around his ears, and down his arms. In light around Eliza, a small vapor of shadow surrounded him. “I get her pregnant, you get to keep the kid, I get to keep her.”

“Hmn…” Eliza tried to yell at them, but her voice was as frozen as the rest of her. Paul ran his hand along her armor, tugging at it in spots. He caressed her, but she couldn’t feel it trough her armor. He couldn’t figure out how to get it off, but noticed the spots he was interested in were connected by fabric joints.

“Take out your knife…” Eliza’s hands trembled not moving an inch. He snarled slightly, raising his hand at her. “Take out. Your. Knife.”

Eliza grabbed the combat knife and drew it from its sheath. She wished with every bit of her body that she could stab him. She shook as she tried to muster the strength to do it.

“Resisting will only rupture blood vessels in your brain.” Paul said with a laugh. Eliza knew he was right. She could feel every single blood vessel in her head throbbing. Still, she couldn’t give up. She wouldn’t give up. “I’m off the telepathic scale now! Give up!”

“Never…” She hissed out. Paul sent a pain wave through her body. She groaned, her knees buckling slightly. Paul decided that he didn’t care if he hurt Eliza anymore. She could resist all she wanted. If he ruptured any of her blood vessels, she’d be brain damaged, but that didn’t matter anymore. If she was brain damaged, he’d be able to do whatever he wanted to her still. That’s all that mattered.

He stretched out into her mind, ripping through any defenses she had. She cringed as he when through her memories, watching fond memories of her and her lovers like pornography. Finally, he had control of her, making her plunge her knife into the fabric that surrounded her breastplate. Her face cringed in pain slightly. It went through her armor, but also INTO her. Blood trickled out of her armor. Paul made her follow the circle around her breastplate. She stopped or slowed whenever she managed to muster the strength to resist, but it was no use. He forced her to continue until the armored breastplate fell to the ground. It rang like a bell, bouncing back and forth. It had gone down to her undershirt, which had a pattern of blood trickling through it already.

“Finally…” He traced his finger along the cut. She grit her teeth, trembling slightly. He grabbed her undershirt, ripping it off. Underneath, she was wearing a blue and black sports bra. “Still wearing bras even with that armor…cut it off.”

He forced her to follow his command, forcing her to hurt herself. She yelped slightly, her knife cutting into her. He fondled her breasts, kissing her neck. He forced her to tip her head up and moan. She thought something, knowing it was true.

“It doesn’t matter if your military comes. They’ll be my recruits, and my friend there can kill anyone of them.” He looked down at her hips. “Cut off your cod piece so the fun can start…” Blood trickled down out of her nose. She tried to resist with all of her might, but it was no use. He was deep enough into her mind to know her first sentient thought. Her arm sliced down through her the fabric on the side of her cod piece. She was hoping when he made her cut across her stomach, she could plunge the knife into herself and end it. Denying him the pleasure of taking her was the only thing she needed right now, even if it meant she was dead.

“Don’t.” The shadow said. “Make her rip the armor piece off.” Eliza cringed as it spoke. Sure enough, Paul made her drop the knife and rip off her codpiece. The knife had slice her right where her legs met her hips. She was completely exposed to him as he fondled and played with her body.

His wretched touch literally made her skin crawl. She wanted to wretch and crush his head with her bare hands, but he was making her act differently. He made her artificially moan and cry out. It made her want to kill him even more. He ripped off her panties and was about to do more to her when the shadow spoke again.

“Your duty now is to impregnate her with the child I require.” It walked out of the corner. Its gate was unearthly smooth, like it was hovering towards him. “After I have the child, you may do whatever you wish, whatever sick things you desire and her body can stand without failing. UNTIL THEN, you will do as I say.”

“Yes, Master…” He growled. He chained up her arms over her head. Eliza wanted to close her eyes. She could bear the pain if she just didn’t have to see him. Still, he forced her to look. She grit her teeth, knowing she could squash him like a bug if she could just move. The only comfort she got was that he couldn’t make her say anything. That would have been too much to bear, hearing herself say things. It would have driven her mad.

He grabbed her leg, lifting it up and stepping between her legs. She tried to brace herself for the pain, but it was too much. She gasped in pain as it felt like it ripped her in half. She didn’t know what to do. She knew it wasn’t possibly the worst pain she ever felt, but she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. The agony, the humiliation, and the feeling just pure defenselessness were almost too much to bear.

She could feel a horrible invasion in her mind, different from the control. She could hear his thoughts in her mind. See all of his obsessions about her and how he sold his soul to rape her. She didn’t want a child just to have it kidnapped by the demon. She had no idea what she could do to stop him. The last thing she wanted was a child, and she was going to be damned if she was going to be an incubator for the rest of her life.


Constance and Tasha were up late, well after Yu’lena had gone to sleep. They were talking back and forth all night, and were probably not going to stop any time soon. Tasha was doing her best to work up the courage to ask Constance about Ariis’ deal. She held Constance’s hands and closed her eyes.

“Connie…you know I love you, right?”

“I love you too…” Constance said with a smile. She loved hearing Tasha tell her she loved her, just because she knew it was real. It wasn’t like Ariis trying to convince her she did. Tasha actually cared about her.

“Well, I…I found out that I can get you free…” Tasha was nervous, her speech speeding up because of it. She did her best to stay calm, slow, and understandable. “You know I would do anything to get you free, right?”

“Yeah, but there’s nothing Master Ariis wants enough to…”

“There’s one thing…” Tasha still had her eyes closed, but turned her head away from Constance. “Me…She wants my virginity, Connie…”

“Well, tell her no.” Constance said shortly and quickly.

“But I’d gladly…”

“NO, Tasha. You shouldn’t use yourself like that. She’ll just keep using you and using you until you’re hers too!” Constance tried to stay cool and collected. It was taking a lot for her to stay calm, and it was failing. “Do you know what I’d give to still have my virginity? I’d…”

“I just don’t want you to have to live like that anymore, Connie…” Tasha said with tears welling up in her eyes. Constance hugged her, holder her close.

“Don’t worry…I can bear whatever Master Ariis does to me…” Constance said, looking at the ceiling slightly. She knew it was a lie. Ariis was driving her insane. The fact that she was willing to risk her life to have sex with her made it all the more maddening. “Do me a favor…when you finally meet the right person and want to…be damn sure they’re the right one.”

“I will, don’t worry…” Tasha hugged Constance back, putting her head on her shoulder. She just wanted Constance to be happy, and if that’s what it took for her to be happy, she could live with that. Still, there was something she couldn’t live with. “You know…everyone heard Kelli and…”

“Let’s not talk about that…” Constance smiled gently. “Tell me more about your past…”

“There’s…Well…there’s not much more.” Tasha looked at the door before she kept talking. “To be honest, everything else is really with my friend Suzune…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t get jealous…”

“Alright…but don’t say I didn’t warn you…”


Paul grabbed Eliza’s combat knife from the ground and dragged it diagonally across her face. She had three diagonal slashes across her face now, one for each time he had violated her. Eliza was entirely incapacitated and unable to fight back. Her mind had almost collapsed in on itself from his assault and invasion. She stared at the ceiling, waiting for a rescue that would never come. She knew that if he kept violating her, his telepathic intrusions would slowly erase her personality and replace it with his own sick machinations. He looked at her scars. She had two across her right eye and nose, and one from her right cheek down across her mouth. He smirked.

“Everyone will know she’s mine now…”

“She is with child now.” The shadow demon said coldly. Eliza rolled her head slightly. She didn’t think she’d ever have to hear her she was pregnant, especially in this situation. “Leave her be until…”

The silence was suddenly shattered by the squawk of police sirens arriving on the scene. Eliza’s hopes soared. They had come to rescue her. Certainly something had saved her, be it a tracker or the trail of minor destruction she caused on her way in. It didn’t matter. She knew it had to be the military police, hearing their boots slamming against the ground as they jumped out of their transports. It distracted them enough for Eliza to get some control back. She laughed.

“They’re going to kill you…” She grit her teeth as she spoke. All of her wounds were almost too much to bear, even for her. “They’re going to fucking kill you for what you did to me…you bastard…” She said before she passed out, collapsing to the floor in a pile. Paul grit his teeth, but the demon used its power over him to stop him from doing anymore harm to Eliza.

Paul could feel his veins and muscles fighting back against his movement. It’s as though they had solidified. The demon left him like that until he knew he agreed to do what he wanted.

“We must leave here for now.”

“I’m not leaving my prize!” He said, grabbing Eliza’s wrist and trying to pull her. She was extremely heavy in her armor, in excess of eight hundred pounds at least. Needless to say, he wasn’t moving her in the slightest.

“They will make sure she carries the child.” The demon grabbed his shoulder, pulling him slowly into his shadow-form. “We will reclaim her later.”

“But you can take them in a fight!”

“Now is not my time…” It ripped him off the ground and into his body. As soldiers poured into the building, he disappeared into a wisp of smoke.

The soldiers pounded through the doors with their rifles and were shocked to see Eliza so badly injured. It was unheard of for an Enhance Marine to be so badly injured, especially in their armor. It made the sight all the more horrific than it was. The worst part was they’d have to bear it until the police came, not realizing that witnessing it was contaminating their very minds.