Chapter Twenty-Five: A Flawed Mission

Artica:

Thank goodness for my lifetime experience of insomnia, the sleepless nights with my twins seeming like a natural thing. The same couldn't be said about Sage, his black bags hollowing out his eyes. Poking his head in, he said something about training Alfred and Morado. Flashing him a bright smile, Mouse skipped in to take the twins for an hour. Tugging on a sports bra and my skirt, I made my way to the gym. The boys looked up, Alfred's face lighting up at the sight of me.

"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked politely, ready to get a bit stronger. "I simply want to hang out with my boys." Allowing me to join them, it felt exhilarating to do the same routine as them. Laying down on the bench, the thought of Sage in the shower caused my thighs to rub together. Skipping up to him, my hand cupped his face. Standing on my toes, his ears popped up.

"I have something to show you in the workshop." I teased with a wicked grin, my palm rubbing his stiff cock. Mouse could watch them for a bit longer, my shaking hand dragging him to my workshop. Locking the door behind us, I pinned him to the wall. Peeling off his sweaty t-shirt, my hands rubbed his chest. Pinning me to the wall, his lips kissed mine sensually while running his hand up my shirt. Picking me up, he set me down on my workbench. Sliding my skirt off slowly, he used his fangs to slide off my underwear.

"I am going to make you scream Arty." He growled gruffly, spreading my legs open. Sucking on my clit, my hand grabbed the top of his head. Pausing for a moment, concern flashed in his eyes. Everything was fine, my hands cupping his. Every cell in my body was begging for him, my fingers playing with his ears.

"I want you to take me, master." I begged adorably, guiding his head in between my legs. "Trust me. I am fine as I am going to get. Now, pleasure me." Sucking on my clit, short gasps escaped my lips. Sliding his fingers into me, his fingertips danced upon my g-spot. Sinking into the euphoria, I royally missed this. Syncing the rhythm, his name bounced off the walls. Flashing me a wicked grin, his hands slid up my thighs. My tail wagged, my dripping turning into a flood. Lining himself up, his name burst from my lips the moment he jammed himself in. Bucking his hips wildly, my claws dug into the wood. Holding me close to him, his gruff groans sent chills up my spine. Brushing his fangs against the nape of my neck, the popping of my skin made my heart skip a beat. Gulping down my blood, a dry thirst haunted my throat. Biting the nape of his neck, his blood coating my throat. Letting out a satisfied sigh, I flipped him onto the table. Crawling on top of him, my legs rested on either side of his left leg. Sinking onto his thick girth, my hips danced to their own rhythm.

"Arty, you need to slow down." He growled huskily, rubbing my round ass. "I am going to cum if you don't stop. Could you turn around so I can see your sexy face." What the hell did he see? I saw a scarred up mess of a woman who had seen better days. Spinning me around to face him, his thumb traced my cheek. Snuggling into his palm, tears welled up in my eyes. Cupping his hand, he yanked me into a loving embrace. Refusing to let me go, he rolled me underneath him. What the hell did he think he was doing?

"It amazes me how you think I can't tell if you are upset." He mused tenderly, poking my nose. "I did l-" Rolling my eyes, every emotion soaked his shoulder. How could he be so fucking strong when I was weak?

"I know. You have lived with me my whole life." I returned with a weak smile, his goofy grin brightening my mood. "Now on with the show." Kissing every inch of my skin, he paused for a second. Sitting up, my legs wrapped around his waist. Our hips danced to the same rhythm, my climax nearly being met. Feeling his body against mine relaxed my fraying nerves, his hands holding me down by my hips. Thrusting one last time, his hot seed filled me up. Resting my head on his shoulder, my crippling depression came back with a vengeance. Brushing it off, dirt crunched the moment I landed on my feet.

"I am going to go take a bath." I uttered numbly, putting on my clothes. "Then I will have to figure out a better armor for us all." Unlocking the door, my boots clicked down the hall. A dull throb ached in my chest, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth. People called out to me, my vision blurring. Sage stumbled out, his words fading in and out. Crashing towards the cracked concrete, Sage's arms caught me before my face met the floor. Scooping me up, he carried me to our bedroom. Laying me down, a fever burned on my cheeks. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, panic gripping his face. Shivering in my spot, a broken scream burst from my lips. Intense stomach pain jolted my body, a coughing fit rattled me. Blood painted the pillows, Sage calling out for Wolfston. Unable to stay conscious any longer, a rough darkness kidnapped me.

An empty sea of blackness spread out around me, my migraine throbbing violently. Inky eyed versions of me circled me, harsh whispers passing through my ears. Words like die already passed through one ear and into the other, the volume steadily increasing. Cupping the sides of my ears, a scream burst from my lips.

"Shut up!" I pleaded hysterically, the tears flowing freely from my quivering eyes. "I don't want to die!" They disappeared, an ominous silence pierced the chaos. A high pitched ring echoed in my ear, my migraine screaming for it to stop. Sinking to my knees, inky hands reached for me. Slapping them away, blood flooded in. A wave of blood crashed over me, my hair sticking to my face. Something was off, my eyes falling on a hooded figure approaching me with an ancient scythe in his hand. What the hell was a reaper doing here? Struggling to my feet, ruby drops shattered the choppy waves. A bony finger pointed in my direction, my head cocking to the left. My weapon wouldn't be of any use, death would always remain immortal to us all.

"Calm your horses." A raspy voice groaned venomously, the rising level of blood now at my waist. "I came to warn you. Mink has big plans against the citizens of your city. We can't let that happen. I am going to offer you a one time deal. I will cure you of your ailment if you stop her from releasing a biological bomb." Narrowing my eyes in his direction, reapers weren't meant to heal. Folding my arms across my chest, this deal sounded fishy.

"I thought you simply took dead things and brought them to their afterlife. How can I trust you? Did you not bring this fucking sea of blood with you?" I retorted sarcastically, his ragged robes not even getting wet. "The damage I received is irreversible. I am going to d-" Shaking his head, he raised one bony finger.

"You are not set to die anytime soon if you listen for a second. You will be old if you take this deal. You get to have the big family that you dream of." He promised honestly, my arms dropping to my side. "I can turn you into a partial reaper which permits you to heal everything and anything. You will still be able to touch any living creature, you have to give me one of your eyes. If you don't take the deal, you will be dead. Live or die? The choice is yours." Choosing to live, my boots splashed up to him. Hatred mixed with fear, the only choice growing ever clearer

"You have a deal." I caved with a defeated growl, his hand touching my onyx eye. "Will this h-" Every cell in my body burned, my eye lightening to a golden glow. Sinking to my knees, the blood was at my neck. Crying out in agony, my organs began to heal. Tears streamed down my cheeks, thousands of screams echoed in my ears. Inky blackness poured from my ears, the last organ healing. Dropping a triangular blood ruby around my neck, the screaming stopped. Falling forward, my lungs burned for air. Tapping the floor of my mind space, every muscle cried out in protest. Desperate for air, I burst to the surface. Confusion dawned on me, my stomach no longer hurt. The reaper turned to leave, his last sentence stunned me.

"The blood is all you. That is the guilt you bear. See you in a long while, my dear friend." He chimed jovially, snapping his fingers.

Jerking awake, I fell out of bed. An exhausted Sage slumbered next to me, my chest rising rapidly. Running over to the mirror, a golden eye glittered in the faint light. Tracing the midnight black line over my eye, my bare feet pounded down the hall. Bursting into Mouse's room, a groggy Mouse and Sunny sat up. Typing on her computers, I hacked into the security cameras. Switching cameras, I stopped at a lab hundreds of miles away from us. My fingers moved a mile a minute, an impatient growl rumbling in my throat. Clicking through the various scenes, a shiny steel ball caught my eyes. Writing down the coordinates, I cut the connection. Ruby painted my hands, a hand on my shoulders made it dissolve.

"Do you mind asking what you are doing out of bed?" A fuming Sage demanded vehemently, spinning me around. "What the hell happened to your eye? Why do you reek slightly of death?" Clearing my throat, the three of them gazed upon me with demanding expressions. It would be best if I told them now before the secret could rear its ugly head. The last thing my team needed was a hotbed of distrust to create cracks in our bonds.

"I made a deal with a reaper and now we have to stop this biological bomb before it kills everyone in the city." I blurted out awkwardly, praying that they wouldn't hate me. "I am cured now and I won't be puking up blood anymore. That is a bonus." Sage played with the blood ruby, crouching down to my level. Wolfston skidded in, her hand shoving Sage out of the way. Hovering her hand over my head, a steady stream of curse words flooded from her lips. Focusing on her tank top and underwear outfit, scarlet colored my cheeks. I could see why Steph found her attractive.

"How are you one hundred percent? What did you do?" She shouted angrily, ripping me out of my seat. Pinning me to the wall, her rage had doubled her strength. Banging my head against the wall, the others begged her to stop. Gripping her throat, I threw her onto the ground. Digging my heel into her chest, her extended claws dug into my leg. They really needed to realize how strong I was, my eyes rolling.

"I made a deal that will allow me to live until I am old." I informed her briskly, touching the back of my head. "Great, now I am bleeding. Look at it this way, I have a functioning stomach and full organs. Granted they are made of reaper's meat but we can't change that. I am doing the best I have ever had. Well, I can't say the same about my emotional well being. Gather everyone in the living room. We have much to discuss." Placing his sweatshirt over my shoulders, Sage clutched me close to his chest. Tears soaked the top of my head, his refusal to let go was endearing.

"You almost died." He wept softly, lifting up my finger with his chin. "Knowing how you are, you had no choice. Let's go save the city. I am going to go get the twins." Running off, my finger traced my chin. I must have hurt his feelings somehow by doing this, my hands crossing. Letting Wolfston out from underneath my heels, she yanked me down into a desperate embrace. Smothering me in her massive breasts, I tapped the floor to tell her to give me some air. Blizzard peeled me off of her, tossing me over his shoulders. His stern gaze met mine, a lump forming in my throat. Why did these two insist on carrying me this way? Glancing at his shorts and tank top ensemble, my stupid ass had woken him up too.

"You are letting me go this time." He asserted furiously, his tail twitching. "You do know that you almost died. Sometimes I wonder if you have any commonsense. How are you holding up? I don't mean physically but mentally. I can smell your raw power from a mile away. Don't you dare fucking lie!" Shrugging my shoulders, my lips pressed into a thin line.

"Why do you two insist on carrying me all of the time?" I growled through gritted teeth, sticking out my tongue. "To be honest, I don't know. Ask me again tomorrow?" Hiding his laugh, he definitely appreciated my sense of humor. Setting me down on the coffee table, everyone waited for my orders.

"Everyone but Mouse and Tatianna will be coming. We need to stop them from dropping a biological weapon on our city, so who is with me!" Cheers erupted in front of me, all of them listening to my plan. Rushing off to pack their bags, Mouse ran up to me. A nervous grin twitched on her lips, my faith laying in her.

"I need you to take care of our twins for a couple of days." I uttered simply, her head nodding. "I have been pumping all along. Defrost it and feed it to them in a bottle. I will check in with you every other hour. Can I count on you?" Clammy sweat drenched her skin, her shaky hands cupped mine. She was going to say no, wasn't she?

"What if I c-" She stammered anxiously, my lips kissing the top of her hands. Her trembling stopped, Sage walking over with the twins. Taking the twins from us, Sage ruffled the top of her head. A humming noise echoed in my ears, their conversation not registering in my mind. Flicking through the plan in my head, a peck on the cheek snapped me back into reality.

"We have to get going if we want to travel through the night." Sage pointed out calmly, ushering me away. "We need to trust her. Besides, Tatty is staying behind to help her out. You have this, don't you?" Tatty shot me a thumbs up, her sweatshirt hanging by her knees. Her ears flattened, her grin growing wider.

"Anything to help you out, Arty." She chirped cheerfully, bouncing over to Mouse's side. "We need to save everyone, right!" My heart hurt to leave them for more than an hour, my arms scooping them up. Kissing their foreheads, their coos caused tears to well up in my eyes. Why was I crying? Sage draped his arms over my shoulder, his heart beating out of his chest. Neither of us wanted to leave them behind, my teardrops hitting their faces. Passing them to Mouse, I snapped my fingers. A sage fox and white rabbit popped up in my hands, the twins' laughter twinkling in the air. Handing them the stuffed animals, squeals of joy bounced off the wall. I made sure to rub my scent on them, Sage doing the same. Hugging the girls, scarlet colored their cheeks. Tatty urged me to go on, Sage wiping away my tears. Those twins were my main reason for living, my friends coming in at a close second. Guiding me to the bedroom, the pain of Wolfston clawing me hit me. Whimpering in pain, Sage sat me down on the bed. Pulling out the gauze, his nimble hands wrapped up my leg. Tossing me a pair of leather leggings along with my usual outfit, he was busy putting on his own.

"Keep the weight off of your leg until it heals." He ordered sharply, zipping up his sweatshirt briskly. "I am pissed that you made that decision without my consent. Do you know what happens to people with the reaper's curse! They go insane and not in a good way." His words stung, a snarl twitching on my lips.

"I was going to die!" I shouted ferociously, his expression softening. "You heard me right. I was going to die and they offered me a way out. How can you yell at me for accepting that deal! How dare you! I couldn't leave you behind. I was drowning in blood, so what the hell do you want? Do you want to hate myself more! That is impossible. I keep screwing up and no one says anything. Fuck you all." Tugging on my sweatshirt, I turned my back to him. Adjusting the tank top, my trembling fingers were struggling to pull on my boots. Snatching my mask, his attempts to make the fight disappear fell on deaf ears. Everyone flashed curious looks, a busted Sage not far behind me.

"Wolfston, I will be riding with you." I snapped hotly, pulling my mask over my head. "Let's get this fucking over with!" Everyone shifted around in their sweatshirt armor, pulling their masks down. Kicking open the hatchet, my arms folded across my chest while the last of my team piled out. Sealing the hatchet shut with a masking spell, Sage attempted to speak to me. Shaking my head, a sharp whistle escaped my lips. Several lizard creatures stepped out from the bushes, a steady stream of curse words flooded from his lips as he struggled with his motorcycle. Dilly rushed over to help him, a small argument ensuing. Blizzard broke them up, Wolfston motioning for me to hop on in front of her. The last thing I needed was everyone seeing our fight, Sage's bike roaring to life. The rest of my team hopped onto the lizards, the harsh wind blowing my hair back. Pulling up her map, my quaking fingers typed in the coordinates. Traveling for eight hours straight, Mouse kept hitting me with updates on the twins. Awkward silence hung between us, racks of demon meat spun over a roaring fire. Sage sat the furthest from me, Wolfston nudging my shoulder. Staring dejectedly at his piece of meat, guilt ate at me.

"I don't know what you fought about but you should talk about it." She suggested cautiously, flinching instantly. "Steph and I fight every now and then." Ignoring her, I yanked my hood over my head. Sinking down, sweet slumber stole me away.