Clipped (The Clipped Saga Book 1) Read online

  Dedrus had endured war and torture. Neither compared to the pain he had felt the day that Kinzer left him. Since their split, Kinzer had made every effort possible to keep his distance from Dedrus. Even when Dedrus tracked him down and sent him letters, he never responded. Maybe Kinzer was just following protocol. They weren’t supposed to fraternize with the other members of the Leader’s Allies, but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t shake Kinzer from his thoughts, his life. Kinzer’s image haunted him. He couldn’t feel the stroke of a customer without immediately comparing the dead, empty interaction with the passionate, sensual one he’d had with Kinzer. He couldn’t wake in the morning without wishing that as he rolled over, there would be his beautiful friend and lover, resting peacefully, wanting just another hour of rest. He couldn’t eat a delicious meal without thinking on all the shit that he and Kinzer had eaten together during the war. If only he could have been with Kinzer, he would have eaten that shit for all eternity.

  His heart fluttered with excitement. His mind cluttered with confusion. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, he knew Kinzer wasn’t there to confess his love. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  “Dedrus, you okay?” Kinzer rested his palms on the stage.

  Dedrus shook out of his confusion.

  The fall had hurt his back, but he’d be fine. He’d suffered falls from greater heights.

  Don’t be obvious. He couldn’t make a scene at the bar. He and Treycore had worked too hard crafting these covers for him to blow them in one night. He pushed his ass in the air and crawled toward Kinzer. As he reached the edge of the stage, he groped his hands along his fuck-me lines, raising his torso until he was face to face with Kinzer. He didn’t say anything. Just stared at him.

  “That looked like a pretty serious fall,” Kinzer said.

  “Had worse.” He flicked his nipple with his thumb, doing his best to be inconspicuous, although he could only imagine what Treycore was thinking.

  Kinzer tucked a dollar in his thigh strap.

  “You know why I’m here.”

  Dedrus looked around uneasily. He rose on his knees until he was crouching. He twisted his ass toward Kinzer, groping and shaking to the beat.

  “Hey,” the regular called from the other side of the stage. “Come back here, Aaron!”

  Now is not the fucking time. What is he doing here? What’s happened?

  Kinzer’s gaze drifted for a moment. As they returned attention to the dancer, he slid another dollar into Dedrus’s strap. “Janka’s dead.”

  Dedrus froze, stopping midstroke.

  Janka.

  The sound of that name evoked a sting in his chest. It was the name of the higherling that had stolen Kinzer from him so many years earlier. Had it not been for Janka, he would have had Kinzer. They would have been together for all eternity. As much resentment as he still held for Janka, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by sadness. Janka had been with him since the dawn of creation. They had been friends since before the split between Heaven and Hell. They were childhood friends that had eons of memories together.

  “Someone has names,” Kinzer continued.

  Dedrus nodded. “I don’t want to be the one to tell Treycore.”

  Kinzer threw Treycore a look. Dedrus checked to see how he was reacting.

  Treycore would be pissed that Kinzer was violating protocol. Also, being Dedrus’s friend and confidant, he knew how damaged Dedrus had become since Kinzer had left him. He’d tried to force Dedrus to move on, to find new lovers to replace his ache for the fallen, but it never helped.

  Treycore stared Kinzer down, but he continued dancing, just like Dedrus. He wrapped a leg around the pole and whirled around.

  ***

  Kid had been eavesdropping on Kinzer’s conversation with the stripper he was calling Dedrus. Who was Janka? And what kind of names were Dedrus and Treycore?

  He didn’t question it too much. He was too focused on trying to keep Treycore in sight.

  Treycore turned his pink-covered ass toward Kid. He bent backward until he was facing him, his skin tight against his abs, stretching out his shallow belly button. The head of his penis rolled across the bottom ripple in his six-pack.

  “Hey, you!” Treycore called out.

  Kid looked around to see who the stripper was talking to. Surely, not him.

  “You. Come here.”

  Kid rose from the chair and approached the stage.

  “You got any money?”

  Kid shook his head.

  “Then scram! I don’t do this shit for free.”

  He nodded and snuck over to Kinzer.

  By now, Dedrus had pulled down his thong and was twirling his foot-long dick in Kinzer’s face.

  Where the fuck do they make all these ginormous cocks?

  “Dedrus,” Kinzer said, slipping another bill in the strap. “You’re the only one I can trust right now.”

  “Hey!”

  A tall man with fat, hanging cheeks, but a fit form, came up beside Kinzer.

  Dedrus slid his thong over his dick.

  “You gonna just keep putting out ones, or you wanna get a deal for the VIP?”

  Dedrus mouthed, “VIP.”

  “How much is it?”

  “For Aaron here? Two hundred for thirty minutes.”

  “For thirty minutes? That’s not a fucking deal!”

  The man glanced Kinzer over. “You gonna be stingy, or you want a good show? You’ve seen this one’s dick. Pretty impressive. Now sit on the pot or get off the can.”

  Kinzer turned to Dedrus with a shocked glare. “You worth it?”

  “Am I ever.”

  Kinzer slipped the wallet out of his back pocket and sifted through the billfold. “What can I get for twenty?”

  “I’ll give you directions to the nearest McDonald's.”

  “Whatever.” Kinzer slipped the wallet back in his pocket.

  “Tell you what. Fifty for fifteen minutes.”

  “What if I want the other one, too?”

  The boss thought for a minute. He glared at Treycore. “That one’s our little show stud. I’ll throw him in for another seventy-five.”

  “I’ll take them both for a hundred or walk.” He motioned to Kid. “And my friend comes, too.”

  The man held out his hand.

  ***

  The boss pulled a white sheet across a metal rod, exposing a room illuminated by a dim, blue-bulbed lamp on a box. A couch with foam pushing out of its edges was pressed against the chipped and cracked wall—littered with carelessly taped event posters with pictures of well-endowed go-go dancers.

  The boss ushered Kid, Kinzer, and Dedrus in. As Treycore approached the doorway, the boss grabbed his bicep and pulled him aside. “Remember, no BJs. I’m not looking to get shut down.”

  “Fuck off,” Treycore said, slipping back inside. He grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it closed.

  Air rushed through the foamy cracks in the cushions as Kid made himself comfortable on the couch.

  Dedrus peered out the side of the sheet over the doorway.

  Treycore stared at Kinzer, his narrow eyes disapproving, stern.

  “This ain’t—” Treycore began.

  Dedrus tapped him on the shoulder. “Quiet…wait…and…okay. Go ahead.”

  “This ain’t fucking happening!”

  “Quieter,” Dedrus insisted.

  “Fallen,” Treycore hissed, “you better have a good fucking reason for being here. And what the fuck are you doing with this mortal? He smells like shit!”

  Do I smell really bad?

  Kid was glad the light was dim, so no one could see him blush.

  “Janka’s dead,” Kinzer said. “Someone ratted us out. That means they have names.”

  “And you came to us?” Treycore asked, his expression tense. “Why the fuck do you think you’re still alive? They probably have a Tracker keeping an eye on you. For all we know, they didn’t even know about us. Fuck!”

  “I
didn’t have anyone else to go to. Janka’s my only contact. They clipped me, so I can’t cross realms without an elixir. Dedrus is the only one I knew I could find…or trust.”

  “And why the fuck does he know where you are?” Treycore asked, a serious gaze locked on Dedrus.

  “I…just—” Dedrus began.

  “Huh?” Treycore’s gaze flashed between Dedrus and Kinzer.

  “He wrote to me, okay?” Kinzer explained. “He mentioned this place.”

  “What the fuck are you? Pen pals? You couldn’t have just called?”

  “Totally. Let me just run and grab my cell from Hell! Treycore, I don’t give a shit how pissed you are. I just need you guys to warn the others. We all need to get our asses into hiding.”

  “Treycore,” Dedrus said, nudging him. They exchanged knowing glares.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” Treycore said. “You want to bring this bullshit in, and I’m telling you that’s a really bad idea. You don’t think it’s a little odd that the Raze would just let him go? Why just kill Janka? It doesn’t make any sense unless they’re using him to get to the rest of us. The Raze thinks that if the wounded, clipped Kinzer comes running for help, dumbasses like you will take him in, and then they’ll hunt the rest of us down.” He shook his head and tossed Kinzer a foul glare. “As far as we know, you’re the rat, and you’re responsible for Janka’s death.”

  Who the fuck is Janka? Kid wondered. And are these guys actually drinking the angel/demon Kool-Aid?

  Kinzer rushed at Treycore, getting in his face.

  Treycore stood firm. They stared each other down. “Be careful,” Kinzer said.

  A thick vein curled up Treycore’s bicep as he balled his hand into a fist.

  “This is not the time.” Dedrus pushed between them, his biceps swelling as he pushed them apart. “Treycore, do you really think Kinzer would’ve ratted out Janka?”

  “I think,” Treycore said, “you need to stop making decisions with your dick.”

  Dedrus glanced at Kinzer meekly and looked back to Treycore.

  “Please,” Dedrus said.

  Treycore folded his arms. His knuckles pressed into his bulbous pecs. The head of his dick dropped from his thong and slid down his thigh.

  An erection stirred in Kid’s pants.

  “We can’t risk this,” Treycore said. “Not right now.”

  “What do you mean?” Kinzer asked. “What is it?”

  “He could help,” Dedrus said. “And you know we’ll need any help we can get.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kinzer asked.

  Kid was asking the same question, but about so many more things.

  “If this blows up in our face,” Treycore said to Dedrus, ignoring Kinzer, “it’s on your head.”

  “Deal.”

  “Okay,” Kinzer said. “Now, someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?”

  Chapter Five

  “Are you guys psychotic?” Kinzer asked.

  A woman, her wrists and ankles bound in rope, duct tape around her mouth, slept curled between a bed and a nightstand. Her skin was even whiter than Kinzer’s. Her cheeks sunk to a narrow jawbone, in extreme contrast to her swollen, round belly. A ponytail of thin, dirty-blonde hair fell across her chest.

  “You kidnapped a pregnant woman?”

  “We did what we had to do,” Treycore said.

  They stood in a bedroom that wasn’t much bigger than the backroom at Dick Dongs.

  After Treycore and Dedrus’s shift, they'd driven Kinzer and Kid back to their place. Treycore now wore a short-sleeve button-up. The sleeves were so tight that, as his muscles flexed, the seams tore ever so slightly.

  Dedrus was in a polo and khakis, far more conservative, as if he was trying to hide the good body he had.

  Kinzer knelt by the woman, gazing at her belly.

  To think, this child could end all the pain…all the hurt…all the torture that the Almighty has used to oppress this world.

  “Janka told us about her,” Dedrus said. “I guess, before…”

  “He knew where the Antichrist was?” Kinzer asked. “And he never said anything to me?”

  “He told me he didn’t want you to have to handle that burden. He would rather you not know than be implicated by the Almighty.”

  If only he’d known.

  “Why is she tied up?” he asked. “Does she know what’s going on?”

  “You think we were gonna tell her,” Treycore said, “that she was having the devil’s kid?”

  Kinzer glanced at several dirty bowls, spoons, and bottles of water that were scattered at the woman’s feet.

  “Do either of you do dishes?”

  “We both work,” Dedrus said defensively.

  “At night! You can’t leave her like this.”

  Kinzer assumed her horrible treatment stemmed from Treycore and Dedrus’s inability to see mortals as equals.

  Kinzer grabbed the edge of the duct tape around her mouth and pulled.

  RIP went the tape as it exfoliated her lips.

  “Fuck!” she moaned, stirring to consciousness. “What did I tell you about the tape? Who the fuck are you?”

  Eyes that seemed too large for her tiny, frail face locked in a bitter stare. She pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow.

  Her irritation made sense. Kinzer didn’t imagine there were many who wouldn’t have been equally enraged had they found themselves in her situation.

  “It’s okay,” Kinzer said. “I’ll explain!”

  “If you bunch of faggots want to rape me or get BJs, let’s just do it and get it over with.”

  “No, no. It’s not like that.”

  “I don’t have time for this shit. I’m gonna have a baby. Or can’t you tell? And you know, it wouldn’t kill me to have a cigarette. Anyone got a beer?”

  Her words scrambled Kinzer’s thoughts. He tossed a glare over his shoulder. “Dedrus,” he whispered. “Where did you find her?”

  “Well…”

  “She did tricks,” Treycore explained, “over at Cheshire Bridge.”

  “Oh.” Kinzer’s eyes returned to the woman. “Um…I’m not going to let you smoke or drink while you’re carrying the Leader’s baby.”

  “What? Who? You know who the father is?”

  “Yes. That’s actually what I want to tell you. Now, I’m gonna untie you and explain—”

  “Don’t fucking untie her!” Treycore exclaimed.

  “Yeah,” Dedrus said. “Don’t do that. She’s a biter.”

  “Just let me handle this. I think you guys have done a shitty enough job with this as it is.”

  He fiddled with the ropes around her wrists, loosening them with care.

  The foul look on the woman’s face softened.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “Maggie.”

  “Maggie, you’re carrying a very important baby.”

  As he finished untying the rope, he set it beside him and worked on her ankles.

  “Are you a religious person?”

  She hesitated but shook her head.

  “Good. That’ll make this easier.”

  He started his tale of God and Satan, just as he had told it to Kid. He explained the war between Heaven and Hell, allowing her thoughts to reel through the mind-fuck that accompanied the reversal of thousands of years of the Almighty’s religious propaganda.

  Kid stood in the doorframe, glancing around uncomfortably.

  Kinzer was fairly certain that Kid thought he was insane. He knew he shouldn't have told him as much as he had, but after all that had happened, he didn’t feel like there were any immortals he could trust, and it was nice to have someone to talk to. However, considering Kid’s clear disbelief, he couldn’t figure out why he was still hanging around.

  “For a long time,” he said, still attempting to soothe her concern, “the Almighty has planned to have a child—a ruthless, sinister, malicious monster that will bring plague and death to the world,
wiping it into oblivion. This child is referred to as the Christ. The Council has restrictions against him creating a Christ. It would be like China deciding to use a nuke. Through our team’s infiltration into the Raze, we learned that God is already in the process of bringing a Christ into the world. The Leader, as we call him, knowing this, has launched his own Antichrist, a child that will take on the Christ. This child will bring peace and love to your world.”

  Maggie’s eyes were wide. “Which one am I having?”

  “The Antichrist.”

  She stared at him blankly.

  “That’s the good one,” Dedrus said.

  “So…I’m having the devil’s baby. But the devil’s good? And you guys are demons?”

  “We prefer the term fallen,” Kinzer corrected.

  “Okay. You are fallens, and you’re going to protect my baby so that it can save the world? Am I hearing this right?”

  Kinzer sighed, relieved. It was wonderful that she’d been able to absorb all that so fast.

  “See?” he said, turning to Dedrus and Treycore. “It doesn’t hurt to communicate with mortals.”

  “Um—” Treycore muttered.

  Something hit the back of Kinzer’s head. His face smacked into the floor. Ceramic shards scattered across the carpet around him.

  It was the lamp from the nightstand. Evidently, when Kinzer’d turned to his higherling friends, Maggie had made haste with finding a weapon.

  In a flash, she was at the window, unfastening the lock.

  “Oh, fuck!” Dedrus hopped over the bed.

  Treycore ran around and wrapped his arms just above her belly.

  “Let go of me, you crazy fucks!” she shouted. “Help! Rape! Rape!” She scratched at his arms. Exposing her teeth, she bit into his hand.

  “Fucking bitch!” he shouted.

  Dedrus struggled to restrain her.

  A few bite and scratch marks later, they had her stabilized on the bed.

  “Please don’t kill me!” she wailed. “God, save me from these crazies!”

  “Guys,” Kid said. “Why don’t you show her something?”

  Kinzer, Treycore, and Dedrus exchanged uncertain looks.

  Treycore threw him a condescending glare. “What?”

  “She’s scared ’cause she thinks you guys are insane. Don’t any of you have wings or something you can show her, so she’ll believe?”