Blood & Carrots - Celestial Ep. 11

My ears folded and I weakly groaned as the last was milked into her. My wings slacked and I hugged tight to her, shuddering as the adrenaline from the release cleared my system, leaving me panting in relief, mist rolling with it.

Charlotte gave a victorious hum as she pulled me closer, petting my ears and down my hair while we held one another. "Ryder that was so good... gods if I could get pregnant I'd have a pack's worth by now from you... perverted fox!"

I grunted at that and looked up at her with a weak huff. "Hey, that's not fair! It's your kink, Charlotte, I just-"

"You saying you don't enjoy it?" She gave me a smug grin.

I frowned at the words and blushed. "Uh... well, yeah, I really like it when I'm with you."

"Then it's your kink now as well, lover." She giggled and moved in, giving me another kiss. I fussed against her but eventually settled into the kiss, growling and holding her tight.

After several moments I parted from her lips and huffed out, "Can we go back inside? I can't feel my backside." She barked a laugh and simply opened a gate to her quarters, gripping me and rolling us right over out of the snow and through the portal where we landed atop her bed with me atop her.

"Better?" She grinned up at me as I loomed over her, still knotted but my numb cold backside was tingling from the warmth of the room as I frowned and tried wagging my own tail out I'd been mostly sitting on the whole time.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." I offered a smile to her and moved down, giving her another quick kiss. "Guess I'm staying the night with you then?"

"Damn right you are, and we're not sleeping until I've got puppies!" She gave me a grin as I felt my heart leap at the words, then growled as she showed me a knowing smirk. "I felt you jump and throb a bit inside me, I've really gotten you into that talk, haven't I, love?"

"Shut up, damn wolf!" I barked out as she giggled and pulled me down into her arms, pushing her mouth to my own, kissing me once more, her hips working and grinding, feeling my knot had given way just enough for her to start working me inside her again.

My body was happy to respond, my own hips starting to grind as our tongues circled one another once more, our next round getting started, but mercifully in a warmer location this time.

—♥—

Demon Lords:

Demon Lords or Archdemons by some, are the very pinnacle of power within the Underworld's aristocracy. Every Demon Lord is known as a Gatekeeper and maintains dominion over a single level of the nine hells, all of them are children of the Lord of the Underworld.

Their power is directly related to the domain they control and scales vastly the deeper one goes. The Lord of the uppermost layer of hell is much weaker than the one just below them, to say nothing for going several layers down.

—♥—

"I can't believe I agreed to this!" Ezekiel roared out as he threw a fist straight into the muzzle of a large werebear, the ursine-beast giving a roar from the blow before the lion sent a follow-up right under its jaw.

The beast left its footpaws and was already back to the form of a mundane before it hit the ground in a heap. There were actually nearly a dozen unconscious bodies dotted around at this point.

"Deal with it, Bishop! Be thankful we protect your followers at your side!" Lorelai snarled back at the lion, her eyes blazing red as she leaped forward, bringing a sharp punch of her own that sent another lycanthrope to the ground unconscious.

I stood with my back to the two of them as they squabbled, saying nothing as I was contending with two more, one slamming into the screen of light from my shield, the other lashing forward with its claws as I simply grabbed its wrist, brought it forward and sent a knee right into its jaw.

Val was with us as well, but his 'fighting' was much more eloquent than ours, simply making contact was enough to send the werebeasts straight into unconsciousness. I didn't bother trying to imagine what he was doing to them in their headspace.

An entire pack of nearly thirty lycanthropes went mad near a rather large mundane settlement of a few thousand souls. Contending to them wasn't an issue so much as trying to deal with so many without them slipping through. Even a few mad lycanthropes could pose a serious issue for a densely populated settlement.

One of the magi circles reached out to Lorelai about the incident and since it fell within the jurisdiction of her family, she sought me out for assistance. She asked me to bring any that were willing and given Rachel and Toroah were indisposed on separate assignments, well Ezikiel was my only option.

The lion hissed as he shook his hands out before pushing one through his flowing hair, righting it as his wings gave a sharp snap. "I sense no others, was that the last?"

"It would appear so, we've certainly tallied up a worthy body count," Val gave a sigh, but seemed rather chipper and buzzing on all the energy he'd no doubt be sipping off each one he brought down.

"Speaking of bodies, how many did we lose?" I gazed over the fallen as I prepared to channel my energies to start tending to the injured.

"I crushed the windpipe of one of the first to lead the charge when I was aiming for its jaws." Ezekiel gave a shrug.

"Likewise, I caved one's skull in when I had four on me, but other than that, I think the rest I subdued are alive." Lorelai sighed as she brushed her leather armor off and looked at me as I started tending to the unconscious ones that were worse off than the others.

"Protecting the faithful is one thing, but explain again to me why we do not strike the lot of them down and be done with it?" Ezekiel cocked a brow, squarely focusing upon the sheep before him as Val moved to her side.

"Because whatever drove these beings mad, was beyond their control. These are perfectly sane mundane just trying to band together and survive. Several of them may indeed be followers of your gods," Val spoke flatly to the lion who snarled at the words.

"Ezzy, chill out, this was a good experience for you, it shows you that-"

"I need not your placating words, Ryder!" Ezekiel snarled as he stomped over towards me.

My own teeth showed as I stood and threw my hand out, sending a healing wave over the whole area, not having time to deal with each individual one when I had a smarmy lion to tend to. "Bishop! You let your prejudice cloud your vision!"

"That's, High Bishop." Ezekiel hissed the words, clenching a fist as he narrowed his gaze at me.

My ears perked as I snarled in response, "You wish to pull rank, Ezekiel? Need I remind you-"

"Enough!" Lorelai moved between us, give me a hard look before returning another towards the lion. "The task is done, I'll see that the magi circle properly tends to this pack to ensure the madness will not come again with the next lunar cycle."

Lorelai fully shifted her focus on Ezekiel. "I thank you for your aid, High Bishop, even if our reasons did not align, I am thankful as is my family."

I watched the lion clench his teeth and snarl down at the vampire, choosing his words. "I would never willingly assist your kind normally, but in this case-"

"Tell me, do you think you are alone in your loss? That my kind are mindless and unfeeling? Have you any idea how many friends and family I lost during that time when you fought the elders?" Lorelai folded her arms, glaring hard upon the lion looming over her.

"Your kind initiated that incident!" He roared out and I could feel the rage pouring off him.

"No! Three individuals started it, High Bishop! We were not united, we had no hierarchy as your kind does! We did not form the council until your kind nearly brought us to the brink over three, fucking, individual, choices! None of my kind was deserving of the ensuing slaughter your people enacted upon us!"

"Lorelai, I've tried explaining this to him many times over the years," I snarled as I folded my arms.

"Perhaps you should learn to open your eyes, High Bishop, did you not see what blind prejudice did for the one my lady felled some five decades past?" Val cooed the words in as diplomatic a voice as he could muster.

Indeed, it had been nearly half a century since that incident with Hagen. Lorelai had stepped down from her family to fully lead the Bloodstone council at large. I had been keeping tabs on Sarnai's family from afar, keeping my word from centuries past, even helping her with her naval engagements, though unbeknownst to the vixen.

"I see no reason to believe the words of demons and abominations, Ryder may be likened to a brother to me, but his vision is clouded with his twisted love for you." Ezekiel snarled the words and my eyes widened.

I parted my lips to scream my rage but Lorelai beat me to it. "You will not sully my love for him, Ezekiel! I have been by his side for nearly a century. You will apologize or I will beat some sense into that skull of yours myself!"

The lion showed a cocky grin as he clenched a fist. "Ha! I've longed to see if you could live up to your reputation, vampire-whore. Let's see if-"

Even I didn't see the whole thing happen, before I knew it Lorelai was landing from a jump and Ezekiel was sprawling back, bouncing against the ground in a tumble, the sheep having sent a sweeping kick right into his midsection.

Ezekiel coughed out, a mist of red coming with it before he started to pick himself up, his left wing looking broken from the sprawling tumble. Lorelai was already before him, arms crossed as she looked down upon the lion on his knees and hands. "Rise and I'll put you to your knees again, High Bishop!"

He snarled furiously then gasped out in shock as his body seemed to freeze. I recognized that oppressive force as Lorelai showed a crooked grin. "That is, if, you, can..."

To his credit, he managed to get halfway up, his knees shuddering before he collapsed back to his hands, a furious snarl in his throat. "Damn you!"

"Lorelai... please, I think you've made your point." I moved over to her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, making sure to focus my prayers so I didn't burn her.

She looked up at me with her red eyes, clicking her tongue before I felt her oppressive will ease, the lion finding his shaky feet, his wing giving an awkward snapping crunch as he set it back in place for his body to start healing itself.

"A mindless, heartless abomination would have finished you just then, mull on that back at your precious citadel." She snarled the words, pulling from my hand to walk back over to Val. "Brother, our business is concluded, we leave this place!"

"You okay?" I asked Ezekiel, moving a hand over to heal his wing. The lion slapped it away, glaring at me and saying nothing as he simply turned to walk away. A moment later a gate opened before him to the citadel and he was gone.

"Is he stupid or just too proud for his own good?" Lorelai called out to me as she and Val rode up on their primitive horses. I looked over to see a handful of mages collecting the fallen lycanthropes.

"I'm not sure. I had hoped standing with us all like this would-"

"I know a lost cause when I see one, Ryder," Val interrupted me with a frown. "It would take something cataclysmic for him to change his views."

"Upon my word, Ryder. If he belittles what we are ever again in my presence, I'll put him to the sword and not even bother drinking his tainted blood," Lorelai hissed the words as she pushed her horse into motion. "I love you."

"I love you too..." I frowned as she moved on.

Val gave me a nod. "Good to see you again Ryder, take care of yourself, old friend." The incubus pushed his own horse into motion and after a few moments I was alone in the field, all the gates the mages had opened gone.

I saw the two dead mundane remained, so I clasped my rosary as I moved to them, already uttering a prayer as I began to perform their rights. Once their bodies were burned in the divine flames I had summoned, I simply walked through the blades of grass while thinking about my life and situation.

After a few minutes, I gave myself a frustrated snarl and simply lifted off into the air. I flew hard and fast, cussing and spitting out loud as the cold wind slammed into my face. "Why are you so fucking stubborn! Why can't you see how blinded you are! Gods damn him!"

By the time I had finished my cussing and fuming I found myself above the cloudline, the sun rising in the distance, giving a good indicator of why my lover had been quick to leave. I blinked at the sun's rays, thinking about Ezekiel, along with all my loved ones. I was a Paladin, my task was to unify and band others together, yet I couldn't even do that with my best friend.

"We can feel your heartache, my son. Would you care to join us and speak of things?"

My ears lifted and I simply thrust a gate open, flying through to the now-familiar locale of the empty blue nothingness. A small table was there, a cup on a saucer with some black tea already brewed as if it were expected I'd have come.

I collected the teacup and took a long sip from it, then sighed out as I took a seat right there on the ground equivalent of the area, crossing my legs. "Why can't I make him see? Seeing my loved ones at each other's throats is heart-wrenching..."

"We are sorry, my son. Matters of the heart can be difficult to overcome."

"Can't you just pull him in here and tell him it's okay?" I grumbled the words while sipping on my tea.

"We've spoken of this before, you are the lone exception, even the Archan-"

"Yeah yeah, I know." I sigh and climb to my feet, setting the teacup down with a growl, "Some Paladin I turned out to be, fifty years later and I can't even bring my own best friend out of his hatred."

"My son, you must have faith that all will be set right in time."

"And maybe you should accept you may have made a mistake! Maybe I'm not suited to the task as much as you thought!"

"My son..."

I threw my arms out, my teeth showing as I snarled, "Time to play this game again! Why don't the other archangels remember the former Paladin? If we are meant to be such a guiding beacon, then how could one be forgotten or hazed over so easily?!"

"In due time my-"

"Five decades is due time enough, answer me! Tell me or I'll quit this place and not return! You can keep the sword, armor, and title!"

A long silence followed and after nearly five minutes of glaring at nothing, I grabbed the scabbard of my sword, unbuckling it and slapping it onto the table next to the teacup. I waved a hand, throwing a gate open to the courtyard of the citadel, and even had a foot in it when they finally spoke out, "Wait."

With an angry growl, I stepped back and shut the gate, glaring over my shoulder at nothing in particular as my tail snapped about in an angry wag.

"Retrieve your sword, we will explain."

Without a word, I snatched the sword and buckled it back into place, then folded my arms with an expecting scowl on my face.

I didn't imagine it, I heard the sigh plainly before the voice spoke out, "When the former Paladin fell, our children were distraught, all from the newest cadet to Ichiro. She faced two of the elders who had banded together in their injured states in a gambit to turn the tide. She fell... saving the ones you call brother and lover..."

My ears sprang up at that. "Ezekiel and Toroah?!" I rubbed my chin in thought. "Wait, Ezekiel was just a regular Cadet during that time, why would he be with Toroah and in peril, to begin with?"

"Because Toroah had his own squad and division at that time, you must remember we still had Raphel as the High Commander at that time. Ezekiel was one of several dozen soldiers under Toroah's command during that time."

"I see... so the former Paladin fell, and somehow something happened to her soul before the sword could pull it back to her body?"

"That is correct."

"Then why do none of them recall her?" There was a long silence and I snarled and moved to unclasp the sword once more. "Answer me! I demand an answer if I am to keep this position!"

"We masked their memories of her."

"You what?! How... how could you?!"

"Please understand, the whole of our children were distraught and their spirits crushed, we still were locked in a war. We had to do something."

"So, everyone remembered the Paladin as a symbol that fell but not the being behind it. You... made her a martyr... All of her bonds she formed, dreams she held... all washed away but for the fact she fell for her cause..." I pushed a hand to my face, feeling tears on my cheeks, crying for my predecessor I'd never even known.

"She and Ezekiel were very close, not lovers but the best of friends, they had even sworn a bond of siblinghood. Even our masking couldn't fully quell the anguish in his heart."

"The war is long over, why keep these memories buried?" I snarled the words through the tears, wiping my face before glaring.

"Because it would be too painful, Toroah and her were... They had spoken of exchanging swords a few months before the war began."

I pushed a hand to my mouth, feeling my stomach twist at the idea of it. He was so casual and loving, aloof but happy. Losing his fiancee, Ezekiel losing his sister. I closed my eyes, feeling more tears as I sighed, "I see your heart is in the right, but... the pain aside, they have a right to know these things."

"We will eventually reveal this when we ourselves have more information on the fate of her soul. To do so prematurely would simply send several of our children into a spiral of depression and madness to solve a problem even we cannot."

"You said it yourself, you are not all-knowing beings, more hands make for lighter lifting, Seraph!"

"Perhaps you are right, we will council upon this more, but for now, will you be satisfied with what we have elaborated on, my son?"

"I don't like it, but... Yes, thank you. What should I do about Ezekiel then?"

"He will have to find his own way. We cannot force a change of heart, it must come within and neither can you, my son."

I gave a nod and pushed the gate open to my quarters. "As always, what I've heard, I'll keep to myself, but..." I pushed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart aching. "I will find my predecessor, for everyone's sakes that have lost her, so they may at least have closure and so she may be mourned properly by her loved ones..."

"You are beyond worthy of your post. Go, my son, our hope."

"Worthy..." I glanced back at the nothingness as I muttered the single word, then stomped through the gate.

—♥—

Bonding of Words:

Even in the mundane world, the act of giving one's word can have extreme ramifications depending on what your lot in life is. However, this takes on a significantly greater responsibility when it comes to those of other realms.

Magi and daemons can have their powers stripped away, while being such as Fae and Celestials can outright cease to live over breaking one's oath. Vampires can also grow dramatically weaker for breaking their oath and some families will outright execute for it.

Needless to say, when giving one's word in any of these circles, it is never given lightly but like all contracts, you must be cautious because a clever mind can find ways around the bond if things are not explicitly stated. Fae have a murky reputation for just such acts.

—♥—

A few decades later, I found myself in the chambers of the archmage of the Circle of Shadows. Their guild had been within our sphere of knowledge for centuries, but knowing something existed was not the same as knowing where it was. I had called the favor in with Lorelai, one of the rare times I used my lover's connections.