Progeny Ch. 03

"You're welcome. Be right back."

She left and came back a couple minutes later. "I set it for half an hour. That should get them dry enough. You can tolerate me that much longer, can't you?"

"Tolerate you?"

"You seem to be in a hurry to get out of here." She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "I thought... You know, I don't know a lot of other people who can do stuff like I can. I thought maybe you and I could be friends, at least."

"Is that why you fucked me? So we could be friends?"

"I fucked you because I wanted to and I was pretty sure you did too. Sorry if that makes me some kind of slut or something." Now the tears started to fall.

"Hey, stop that." Dorian put his hand on her shoulder, the most comforting gesture he could manage without letting go of the blanket. Not that he was used to trying to comfort anyone. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't think you're anything but a beautiful woman who decided to spend some time with a loser. Don't cry, please."

"Why don't you just go?"

"Because I could use a friend too. I wasn't trying to get out of here because I wanted to get away from you. I wasn't sure you wanted me to stay."

"Well, I do." She wiped her eyes with her hand. "You forget, I dreamed about you. I already knew I liked you before I met you."

"Well, I didn't dream about you, but I know I like you." What the hell. She'd already seen him naked. He dropped the blanket and put his arms around her. "Sorry if I was a jackass."

"You weren't. Just stay a little longer, please. At least till your clothes dry."

"Yeah, I don't think I'd get too far in a blanket." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Tell me more about this Krell guy."

"I don't know much about him. Just that he owns a town and he's looking for you and other people like you."

"What's the name of the town?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Dorian shrugged. "Maybe I'll pay the guy a visit. Spare him the problem of sending out any more goons."

"Don't. Dorian, please, promise you won't go anywhere near there."

Despite the fear in her voice, Dorian shook his head. "I can't promise you that. If they're looking for me, there must be a reason. I won't keep looking over my shoulder to see if they've found me. I'd rather find them first. I can find out, you know. You might as well just tell me."

"It's Firefall. Firefall, Wisconsin."

Upstairs, the doorbell rang. Monica's eyes widened. "It's them."

"Go answer it." Dorian started putting on her uncle's clothes. They were too big, but he was damned if he would show his face wrapped in a blanket. "Tell them I'll be right there."

"Dorian, you don't know what they want you to do."

"I know I'm not going to run away from them again. Go answer the door, Monica. If I'm the one they want, they won't hurt you. Go."

She hesitated, but did as he said. He finished dressing and found the stairs. As he went up, he heard the men's voices, along with Monica's frightened one. When he emerged from the basement door, he saw Monica between the men. They had blocked her into a corner of the kitchen, and the goonish one had his hand clamped on her arm. "Leave her alone," Dorian said.

The skinny guy turned to look at him. "Ah, Mr. Truslow. Nice to meet you face to face." He stepped away from Monica and nodded for his buddy to do the same. "Perhaps you'd be so good as to accompany us to our car. Our employer is anxious to meet you."

"Don't go with them, Dorian," Monica pleaded. "You don't have to do what they want."

"I'm not." Dorian hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I'm doing what I want. You could come with us, you know."

"He's evil. I won't go anywhere near him."

"Then I'll come back and find you afterward."

She shook her head. "No. I don't think I'll see you again. I don't know if I will, but it doesn't feel like it."

"Dream about me, then." He turned to the men. "Take me to your leader."