Page 43 of A Velvet Kiss After Dark

Time: roughly 11:21 P.M.

Location: "Hell"

Characters: Tabitha Burke, Kane Gunner, and Graham the Werewolf

Motivation: To claim a relic that looks like a necklace

Goal: To sleep

What Tabitha really needed was a pad and pen, especially now that any chance of a having bath was out of the question. While her journalist integrity was constantly called into question as a gossip-columnist, mostly by haters, she was beginning to wonder if she could write a work of fiction, something she hadn't done since Kindergarten.

The idea of zazzy book titles wheeled through her brain as Kane carried her in a fireman's hold. Her dignity was gone, so was her urge to fight. "The Bewildered Forests of Sand-mania". No good, she thought. The last book she read was a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" novel, and that too, was non-fiction and told of true tales to endear the heart and soul of the reader. It worked—the book left her smiling at the warm-hearted stories. "The Traipse of Many Miles". That one sounded better, at least.

Kane grunted in discomfort and re-shouldered her across his bony shoulder-blade. He'd begun at a marathoner's job, holding her in his werewolf form, but hours later, even he'd needed a break, and so he demanded to carry her in his normal body. Yup, she really couldn't say she liked this idea.

She was tired to the bone, yet too uncomfortable to actually sleep, which put her in a crummy position somewhere between raging headache and almostable to drift off. Perhaps without his grunts, heavy breathing, and manic desire to somehow please her with his innate virility she could hit the snooze button for a few more minutes. At this point she felt as though she hadn't eaten in days or slept in a whole week.

Hell was turning out to be hell indeed. God, she hated puns.

When he quickened his pace to jog up another steep incline, Tabitha peeked open one eye, and then the other.

For all that her eyes could see in every direction was nothing but miles upon miles of endless desert.

Desert, desert, and more desert.

Another book title came to her: "The Book of Many Deserts: A Novel by Tabitha Burke". Not bad, she thought, and nearly smiled.

The one thing she'd learned so far about this so-called "Hell-realm" is that deserts sucked. There were no convenience stores, even fewer people who liked her, and at night it was so black that she could scarcely see a foot in front of her own face.

Tabitha hung her head low and inhaled the odor of Kane Gunner's hair follicles. Yucky. He smelled worse than she did, like sweat and blood droppings. Yup, this is the sticky situation she was stuck in. Gross and sticky being keywords here, for it was late at night, she was tired, and in order to not "lose any more time" she had finally agreed to allow the man to carry her. Man being key here, not werewolf.

"Tell me about why you came here," she said, her voice muffled. It wasn't from alcohol, but exhaustion that made her sound like a drunken, slurring lunatic.

He harrumphed and hitched her higher across his shoulder. With every few steps he jogged, she forever seemed to slip and slide down, and then whoop, up he corrected her position. She'd be bruised across the mid-section by morning.

"I can't tell you about my mission, Tabitha. It'll only endanger you more," he replied.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. Stupid answer. "Tell me or I'll shoot you." She didn't mean it, but it felt good to bring some levity to the situation.

He chuckled and seemed to get lost in contemplation. Afterward, he said, "Alpha Zeke sent me to retrieve this relic. He believes it'll save his wife's live. Are you even listening or are you too tired to keep your eyes open?"

"Well, you told me some of that, but why did he send you, and not somebody else? And, what are you getting out of the bargain?"

Suddenly, his footsteps faltered, and he nearly dropped her.

Letting loose a frustrated breath, Kane hastily rearranged her so that they were in a hugging pose, like that of a child clasping a parent. He wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. However, neither of them were parents, and neither of them had children, which made this position incredibly too vulnerable for her. Still, even in his human form he had far more strength and energy than she did. Good for him, she thought sardonically.

However, she chose not to complain that this was far too much like a real hug and therefore intimate to her. One thing she was not was a whiner. Therefore, she chose to remain mature and say nothing about this scandalous positioning, but she did notice he could scurry even quicker, with Graham jogging only a few feet behind them. Graham's bleeding had stopped but his massive ax wound didn't seem to be healing, which she took a mental note of. She'd always thought werewolves could heal far quicker than humans. At least Graham's coloring was starting to return to normal, and thank God for that, she didn't want to lose anyone down here. She felt like they needed all the help they could get at this point.

Besides, she was so tired she could scarcely summon an argument to mind. And, the last thing she wanted was to be the "weak link" on this assignment.

Alexis and Seth were long gone, their fleeting visage an oasis in her vision from hours ago. The sun had long set, and it must be close to a midnight hour, if she had to guess.

God, she hated this dismal place.

Where were the hotels? How about a McDonald's or some facsimile of a restaurant, at the very least? Her clothes were detestable looking and smelling even worse by this point, and she had nothing to change into. She felt beyond desperate, and it took all of her energy to remain strong. They all smelled of goblin blood, gore, and sweat. It was vile and, no, she had not grown used to it. Could she ever?

Pen and paper, that's what she needed—to write all this down so she could make some masterful story about it all. She'd much rather be at Cohen's office, viewing his high-end retail vintage rarities and concocting her next hot story. At least there she'd get information on ancient artifacts, mummified remains of Pharaohs and true archaeological discoveries. Ancient subjects always had fascinated her! Here, she was mincemeat badly in need of a shower, and, apparently, holding up the entire party with her "human" weaknesses.

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