Redemption Ch. 09

Devon didn't ask, he just shimmied past the huge reaper followed by Angel who yanked Boy in after her.

Lucien ignored them all, just began to yell at the transport to take him back to its prior destination.

"Some creep kidnapped Rayne," Remi snarled as Lucien continued to bellow at the transport to lock in the prior coordinates.

"Comply, damn-it," he snapped.

There was too much ruckus and the computer was getting confused.

"But Boy is right here," he heard Natanael say.

"Not that Rayne, Girl Rayne," Rowie blurted, her eyes wide.

"Be quiet," Lucien yelled at everyone. Thankfully they all complied.

The transport apologized for the confusion, making Lucien want to beat something. "Not you, you stupid machine—"

"Luke," Zak said putting a hand on his arm, "let me. You're too riled right now."

Lucien panted in fury. Zak was right. They were wasting time. He nodded, because he was unable to form any sentences without spilling a flood of expletives along with it.

The reapers piled in until they were like sardines in a can.

The transport declared they'd surpassed its weight capacity.

One glare from Lucien had all the reapers pouring back out of the transport, even Ashriel, who scowled as the others pouted.

"We'll fly," he barked slamming the door to the transport closed.

Finally, the transport began to move.

*******

He looked like a madman. Boy watched Lucien warily. His almond-shaped eyes practically bulged, and he kept raking his fingers through his hair, until it was an unruly mess around his shoulders.

"Luke, How did Rayne get on Earth? How did she find us?"

Lucien blew out a harsh breath. "I don't fucking know. But she's here."

"What if it's a trap?" Seth suggested.

Lucien shook his head. "Just look at the vid again. You tell me."

Boy jump when an orange-skinned man appeared.

"That's Bumaan," Angel exclaimed. "That son-of-a-mongura."

Girl Rayne appeared at the other end of the transport, her image translucent like a specter.

Boy's eye went round. She'd shorn her hair. It was high around the back of her neck, the edge of the cut following her delicate jaw so that the jet-black strands around her face were long enough to tuck behind her cute, little, round ears.

Boy touched his self-consciously. Another difference between them.

His?

Boy blinked back tears, pulling his new trench coat more firmly over his chest. Yes. His. His breasts were gone. He'd awakened to find his feminine swelling shrunken down to two meaty masculine pecs. Lucien didn't know yet.

Would he hate Boy? Now that Rayne was back, he probably would. Lucien hated males, and Boy was finally very-undeniably male again.

Taking a bracing gulp of air, Boy looked at her again—her big, wide blue eyes, soft rosebud mouth. Even disguised in unfeminine clothing, she looked like a doll...so sweet.

The memory of what she'd done to him made him blush. It was very similar to what Lucien had done. They'd sucked his cock, made him come undone.

A violent shiver went through Boy's body. When he looked up, Lucien's ice-blue gaze was on him. Girl's image had vanished.

The transport stopped. Lucien was the first one out.

"Wait," Devon called grabbing his arm.

Lucien whirled, baring his teeth at his brother. Devon let him go long enough to pull out a gun from inside his coat. "Here. No telling what we're up against."

Lucien accepted the weapon, tucking it inside his own coat.

The wind was sharp, cold, cutting through the layers of clothing Boy Rayne wore.

They were in front of a factory that looked abandoned, but Boy knew looks could be deceiving. He'd fought in many buildings similar to this one back when he was a battle pet.

Lucien took off at a run behind the building with Seth trailing behind him. Remi ripped off his coat, enormous red wings sprouting from hi back and flew to the roof, carrying Rowie in one of his arms. Above, he could see the reapers already circling for landing. Boy Turned and followed Anniel and Zak...until Girl Rayne's scent caught his attention. Both he and Anniel screeched to a halt.

They looked at each other and before turning around again and following the scent.

"Where are you going?" Zak whisper-shouted as he ran back to them.

He was the only one of the Angels who didn't wear a coat. He was so massive he probably didn't need one.

Trails of waving golden hair spilled thickly over his bulging shoulders as he peered down at them.

Boy and Anniel had knelt down close to the ground. The weeds around the factory were tall and overgrown, but they found a pair of metal doors in the ground.

Boy reached to open it, but a big tanned hand beat him to it.

Boy turned to gape at Lucien as he touched the handles on the doors. His eyes glowed brighter, and Boy could feel him release a surge of telekinetic power.

"Luke," Zak began in a warning tone.

"Shut up," Lucien snapped as he carefully opened one of the doors.

Anniel gave Zak a little shake of the head. Zak just huffed in resignation.

They went down a narrow stairwell that ended at a pair of double doors. Beyond that was another corridor with many doors. It was actually like a labyrinth.

Boy followed his nose though, as well as Anniel and Seth. They moved ahead of Lucien.

The overhead lighting flickered a few times, shedding light on the bland grayish-blue corridors. It was deathly cold. The doors to either side of them had little square windows, all unlit, dark inside so that they had no idea what lay beyond.

*******

Rayne awakened to the sensation of a sting in her arm. It was so cold and there was a bright light shining directly into her eyes. Her entire body prickled as her artificial nerves came back online, feeding information to her brain.

When she was sure her bodily functions were completely under control of her nanos, she opened her eyes.

There was a large round light right over her, shining into her face. Metal pipes ran along the high ceiling as well as air ducts.

From the cold air brushing against her body, she surmised her clothing had been removed.

A sigh of disappointment drew her gaze.

"Not real blood. What a shame," Bumaan drawled. "I was so looking forward to giving my masters some fresh young virgin meat." He shrugged, placing the tube of nano-blood he removed from her on a metal table behind him.

Rayne eyes widened when he began undoing the closures to his pants.

"Oh, well. I guess you won't be needing your virginity for anything important."

Rayne jerked her hands, finding them restrained, as well as her legs.

She pulled hard, trying to engage her nanos to react and give her the boost of power needed to break her restraints.

Bumaan laughed. "Those are cyborg proof, my pretty."

Rayne screamed when he shoved a finger into her roughly. Her body arched, trying to get his disgusting finger out of her. One of her restraints snapped and she used her hand to fist his throat. Bumaan's eyes bulged in shock as she squeezed hard.

Movement caught her attention, though, and she gasped when she realized the room was filled... with demons snickering at the proceedings. Their faces were hideous, more like skeletal masks with horns and needle-sharp teeth.

The door to the room burst open. Boy was the first person she saw. He stared at her just like she remembered in her dream—his lavender eyes lined, beautiful exotic face framed by a fall of stark white hair that shimmered with pastel highlights, but then Lucien roared and pulled two flaming swords from thin air before rushing into the room, followed by the other Alpha Angels.

All hell broke loose.

One of the demons snatched Bumaan from her and disappeared into the shadows. Another flew and broke the overhead lamp, but the room didn't sink into darkness.

Most of the Angels had unsheathed their swords and the blazing light of divine weapons almost blinded her.

The room was larger than she realized, spanning about a hundred paces behind her. There were cages, tables and glass cylinders with things moving about within.

Rayne tugged at her remaining restraints, frustrated that they wouldn't break like the one that had held her left arm.

The head of a demon landed between her thighs and the hideous thing, still alive bit her, fangs sinking deep around the meat of her inner left thigh.

Rayne screamed again, not from pain, but from disgust and fear. Boy jumped up on the table with her and batted the disgusting thing away.

Rayne couldn't help the sob of joy she felt at seeing him there.

"Boy," she cried.

His pupils were dilated wide, making him look feral. He blinked twice before unsheathing his claws and striking at the metal cuff that still held her right hand prisoner.

She saw when he winced and noticed that his claws began to bleed.

"No-sweetie-no. Don't hurt yourself," she begged.

His eyes stared into hers sadly.

About to give him a peck on his lips, she gasped when he shoved her down roughly. Her head hit the metal table again and she saw when he pulled out a pulse gun and fired repeatedly. A heavy thud sounded in the direction he'd shot.

Rayne saw Seth split a short stocky demon in two. Lucien swung his swords left to right, mowing down the evil creatures like a machine.

His blond hair flowed gloriously, his muscles rippled.

Her right hand was suddenly unbound. She looked up in time to see Devon using his divine sword to break open the cuffs on her ankles as well just as Lucien killed the last four demons.

They were all drenched in black blood, and the smell was horrible.

Boy jumped off to the side of the table just as Lucien ran to her.

"Are you okay?" several of the Angels asked at once. Remi was already glowing with fire as he looked at the wound by her knee.

Rayne kept her eyes on Lucien though. He just looked at her without saying a word, drawing closer.

Her heart clenched at the wealth of emotion in those beautiful ice-blue eyes.

Everyone remained silent now, watching them.

He shut down then, all emotion snapped off. He might as well have been Cyneolle. With his cold emotionless mask in place, he asked "Why are you here?"

Rayne blinked. She wanted to shut down her own emotions, feel nothing before this beautiful stranger...but whereas Lucien had stolen her memories of his presence in her life, he'd forgotten also to banish this feeling, this yearning she felt for him also.

"Answer me," he snapped.

Rayne finally delivered the message she'd wanted to give him almost since waking back in Alpha 7.

Lifting her hand, she struck him hard across the face. "You fucking bastard."

He never answered her. His gorgeous hair had flown across his face, hiding his reaction to her slap, and he stayed turned away, head bowed. You could hear a pin drop.

Boy shoved his arms under her and drew her to him.

The fact that he was no longer terrified of her shocked Rayne.

Boy lifted her gently against his chest and began striding out of the room, the others following.

Rayne wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, inhaling his comforting scent.

"Where are we going?" she whispered.

She felt him tip his chin down to look at her. "Home."

Rayne looked back up at him, her eyes beginning to fill. "Where is home, Boy?"

He blinked back the shine in his too, and stared directly into her eyes. "With Lucien. That's home, Girl Rayne."