Page 88 of A Murderous Crow
He had my jeans dangling from his other hand and he slung them up and over his shoulder as he said, “Ciao, Bella.”
“Oh, you!” I cried pulling at my wrists. “You’re not even going to get me down?”
He walked away, whistling softly, and I thought to myself,oh, shit…
“That’s cheating!” I hissed. “Unfair advantage!” I pulled at my wrists and tried to gain enough height by standing on my very tippy toes to push my hands up and over to let myself down, but it wasn’t happening.
The sense of fun evaporated in an instant, and I was suddenly terrified.
I tried everything I could think of to get myself off the fence, but it wasn’t working. I couldn’t get on my toes high enough or get enough of a little jump to disengage myself from where I was caught by the leather of my belt.
I struggled for several moments, until I was out of breath from my attempts, but try as I might, I couldn’t do it. I was just about to call out for help when Revenant stepped out of the shadows looking like if James Bond were the villain in his own movie.
“You’ll have to excuse Death, I think he wants you to steer clear of him.” He came to me, and put hands to my waist and said, “Help me out.” He lifted and parted my thighs. He was fully clothed and so I wrapped my legs around him, trying not to gaspat the very clear erection pressed against me as he lifted me off the fence.
I made a noise, my shoulders screaming as I rotated them back forward and put my arms around his neck. He lowered me to the ground and ducked out from under my hands.
“Hangman’s work,” he said, and it didn’t sound like a question. He undid my wrists and said, “C’mere,” and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, trembling, but not with cold.
“That scared me,” I said, and he pulled back, brushing my hair back from my face. “Death and Corvus have an ancient history,” he told me. “I think he wanted to ensure that old adage, ‘bros before…’”
“Hoes,” I finished for him unimpressed.
“Yes, well, you aren’t that.” He rubbed feeling back into my hands and made sure my wrists were fine and said, “Bra’s mine,” I obediently turned around, and he unclasped it, taking it from me.
I hugged over my chest and he said, “If you need to stop…”
I shook my head, “No, thanks for coming along as quickly as you did.”
He chuckled and said, “Death told me right where to find you. Now run along little rabbit – there’s still four of us out there.”
“How long have we been out here?” I asked and he chuckled.
“Better go, you’re cold to the touch.”
“I don’t feel cold,” I said.
“Better go,” he reiterated, and shifted in his stance to indicate his discomfort.
I nodded and moved away, and he walked back toward the caretaker’s house.
I looped back around and returned to the spot we’d been in, watching his dark figure, darker against the dark return to themain gate, where Hangman slipped out from under the porch and unlocked it, so that Revenant could leave.
I walked back up the aisle, back toward Gracie’s plot and stared at the angel nearby with the broken top part of her wing. I thought to myself that I could relate, that I was feeling like I’d fallen pretty far, pretty hard, and pretty fast into the debauchery of this game. I couldn’t say I was sad about that. Not with the way my nipples tightened in the chill and I ached to have any one of them take them into their mouth.
I was just about to really start moving again when Fear found me.
“Boo!” he murmured and I yipped, to a masculine laugh out there further in the dark. Shit, theyhadto be moving this way.
“I get the panties,” he said. “Nice.”
I said, “Youbettergive this back!” I unclasped the necklace Corvus had gifted me, handing it over to be ornery.
He pouted and said, “Aw, clever girl.” He smacked me on the ass as he went by, heading for the cemetery gates. I yipped again at the stinging handprint he left and he said, “Fuck, Lainey’s gonna get it when I get home.” He shook his leg to re-seat himself in his pants and I gave a slow blink.
All of a sudden, I wasreallyin it to win it, whether it be by holding out until dawn or finding Corvus because damn I felt that. I wanted it, and I wanted it badly.
I pressed on, and it wasn’t long until I was captured again. “Shit! You all aresneaky!” I cursed as leather-clad arms went around me and I was pulled back into a jacket that was wrapped around me.
