Chapter 76: Underground

I sped away until I made it to the highway. I drove out of town away from my apartment and work. I knew there was no way I would be able to escape them by driving the city streets, so I got on the state road and headed east.
I didn't really have a destination in mind. I just wanted to get away from those men as fast as I could. And well... Mr. Kline, too. Everything in this city was starting to stink. It was almost like it was rotting.
After a few miles, I realized there was no one chasing me. I should have an entire gang of bikers on my tale. I mean, I freaking stole their bike. That was against some gang code or something, wasn't it? But still, no one was after me. So, what did I do now?
I kept driving. That's what I did. I just stayed on the road going east. I let my mind work over the last few days and even the few previous months, everything that had happened since the merge. I guess maybe I should go to Utah. I could visit Lanie's old house and the nexus node. Maybe by the time I got there, I could think of a fair trade with Karma. She would probably appreciate being summoned with a major node.
An hour into the drive, my phone buzzed. I pulled over to the side of the road to answer it, but it went to voicemail by the time I stopped. I apparently had missed seven calls from Anton. I dialed up the voicemail on the flip phone and listened.
"You have six new voicemails. Press one to hear..." I pressed the button to skip passed all the annoyingness.
Anton's voice rang clear through the speaker. "Hey, Kira. It's Anton. There are some guys here looking for you. They are kinda big. They got guns. Do you think maybe you could come home?"
I pressed the button to move on to the next one.
"Kira. Anton again. Hey, I really need you to come home. They said you stole a bike? Could you maybe give it back? They look really mean."
I continued to the next. This time Anton's voice as a bit higher.
"Kira, seriously. Come home. I'm really scared. I really don't want to get wrapped up in your problems."
"Kira! Hurry. They look mad."
The next one was a hang-up.
I moved to the last one.
This voice was deeper and also familiar. "Kira," the orc purred. "Such a pretty name. Come to the Ardor Bar on 5th and Main. Bring me back what's mine, or I will take something that is yours. Your whiny skinny man-boy is here waiting. He's bothering me. Hurry."
"Shit."
I flipped the phone closed and jammed it back in my pocket. I revved the motorcycle engine and spun it around on one foot. I punched it forward back west towards that rotting city.
After yet another hour, I was back where I started. I pulled into the Ardor Bar. I stepped off the motorcycle. My arms were tired. My whole body felt like it was vibrating. I threw my purse over my shoulder and headed in.
The stairs lowered down into the pavement to a double entrance. An ominous-looking giant stood at the door with his tusked teeth and underbite. He pushed the doors inward, allowing me entrance. The bar spread out to either side in a U shape all around the central area. Several bartenders serviced the bars. There were tables and seats everywhere. A pool table and video lottery were through a doorway at the right. The left side looked like a private room. Another two rooms disappeared in the back. Stairs climbed the sides over the bar to more intimate seating areas. Another bar sat in the middle of the back wall between two doors.
Anton sat in the middle of the bar tied to a chair and gagged. There were about thirty jacketed creatures in the bar. They ranged from human and orc to various other things, most of which I couldn't even fathom a name for.
I stepped forward. All heads turned towards me. The bar grew quiet. Someone even turned the music off.
The big familiar leader orc stepped forward, barring my path to Anton.
"Hello, Kira," he growled, but he made it sound like a purr.
"I told you, I don't know where Matei is. I don't know where Mila is. I don't know what else you want from me. Just let Anton go. He didn't do anything."
The orc held up his hand to halt my spiel. I flinched away like he was going to slap me. The corner of his mouth smirked around his tusked teeth.
"Calm yourself, Kira. Anton is fine. He is completely unharmed. See?" He indicated behind him by turning halfway to look at him. "I'd say he looks comfortable."
"You call gagging him comfortable?"
The orc sniffed a laugh. "No, that was for our comfort. He talks too much."
I wanted to laugh at that, but couldn't bring myself to. I looked around the orc. "Anton? Are they treating you well?"
He tilted his head to the side in response as if saying "mostly."
I shifted my attention back to the orc. "What do you want from me then?"
A man with pointy fox-like ears and tinted pink skin stepped forward. The orc nodded and held the palm of his hand out to me.
I looked at the orc. He nodded with narrow eyes. I hesitantly touched my palm to his. He closed his eyes. I could feel something searching me, like the air around me. I focused and could see his green aura wrapping around me, probing at my limbs.
He pulled away and looked back over his shoulder. He nodded at the orc. "She is the daughter of Matei Popov."
"I told you I was. Now, what do you want?"
The orc stepped closer to me. He smiled a big pointy tooth grin. "A kiss."
I blinked at him in surprise. Silence spanned between us. The spectators around us felt like they held their breath as they watched me.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard that right."
"A kiss, Kira. Kiss me."
My brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," he growled.
I scanned his face. He looked dead serious. I cringed. Did I really have to kiss this... creature? Monster seemed too harsh a word, but he certainly wasn't a man. Where did I even kiss him? His skin was a greyish-blue with numerous crags and scars.
"Are you serious?"
"Deadly." The way he said it made my blood run cold.
"Fine." I leaned forward and turned my head. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
"Done. Now, Anton, please?"
"No," he shouted. He gripped me by the shoulders and lowered his head to me. "Do it right. With the power."
"The power?" I whispered.
"If you really are Matei's daughter, kiss me with the power." His fingers tightened painfully on my shoulders.
"I... I don't know how to use it," I stammered.
"I don't care!" He lifted me off the ground. His face contorted, letting the calm exterior fall. His eyes looked wild, like that of a junkie looking for his next fix.
My feet dangled in the air. I felt helpless. I pushed power to my fingertips.
The orc lowered me to his forehead. "Do it now."
I stared at the wrinkled grey forehead. He had no hair, just like all orcs, but it was more than that. He instilled a sense of fear in me. Maybe because of all the previous battles between us, I wasn't sure. I closed my eyes and leaned forward. I pressed my lips against his cold skin. I pictured Angandriel in my mind. I imagined the surge of power when I kissed Sandriel. I pictured Remi holding me on his lap as Kira.
Instead of pushing power out, I pulled it in. I sucked with my aura, trying to pull energy in through my lips. I pulled and pulled, then like a dam, the energy started pouring.
"Yes..." The orc moaned in pleasure.
I pulled harder, sucking in as much power as I could. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I sent it to my injuries. I could feel it mending my muscles and working at organs.
The orc's arms started to tremble. He pulled me away from his forehead and set me on my feet. I opened my eyes to see his were still closed. He looked euphoric. The room seemed to let out a collective breath. I felt someone at my side.
A burly looking man with a goatee in a biker jacket knelt. "Me next."
When I didn't move, he grabbed my hand and put it to his lips. "Please?" He begged.
His lips were warm, and his facial hair was soft. I pulled in his energy, too. It felt different, warmer. The orc's felt strong and cold in comparison. Come to think of it, Sandriel's had felt like a shiny star. I kept my eyes open this time. I could see the green of this man's aura dimming as I drew on his power.
The man's face turned to pleasure just like the orc's had. His pants tightened below his belt. I could feel my face growing hot. I quickly snapped my eyes back to his face. That was too hard to look at, too. Instead, I cast around the room. The others crowded around me. They started kneeling around me. One giant snatched up my hand. He pulled me a step to the side, closer to him, then placed his lips on my hand. His power felt different, too.
I wasn't sure what to do with all this new power. I lined my aura. I filled the reservoirs of my demon tattoos, buffing their power. I strengthened the healing of my muscles. I created deep wells within my soul then filled them. I switched from creature to creature, sucking their power and apparently giving them some sort of pleasure fix in return.
Anton had been mumbling behind the gag for some time, but I was too busy to pay him any heed. He gave up after a while. As the bikers got their fix, they left and sat to enjoy themselves, making room for their brothers in front of me. Now that I was on to the last man, Anton started up his complaining mumble again.
When I finished, I withdrew my hand. I felt full like I just ate my third serving of thanksgiving dinner. I looked up to my left as I swayed on my feet. The leader orc stared down at me, recovered from his pleasure hit from me. A pang of fear shot through me. Lanie would have never admitted to that. She would have called it caution.
"What are you going to do with me now?" I asked.
The orc grabbed me around my waist. He lifted me and set me down on a barstool. "Pour her a drink."
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