Page 42 of The White Rider
They were going to be my battle armor today. I pulled on a pair of buttery soft leather trousers and my trash panda shirt. I had a feeling I’d modified all my t-shirts to show off my tattoos, this one certainly did. The apocalypse always called for ponytails to keep my hair out of the way of the guts that always seemed to fly around me. Maybe that was just a Horseman thing?
My hair couldn’t be up today. The pink that was still in my hair was how these assholes identified me and they needed to see my very distinctive tattoos. Even if I had to do it with salvaged Kool-Aid packets, my hair was going to be bright ass purple when this was over. The fact that these dickheads had ruined pink hair for me should be submitted as evidence in their trials.
I pulled the one ponytail holder I had left to last me through the end of the world out of my hair and stuck it on my wrist. There was probably this little black hole in every single residence where ponytail holders ended up when they went missing. I lost them all the time before all this, but never really cared. I made it a point not to lose this one because I couldn’t just go out and buy more.
I ran my fingers through my long hair to get it to calm its shit down. I remembered wearing my hair long before all this, but not this long. I hadn’t had a haircut since I got kidnapped the first time.
The Horsemen surrounded me. They were wearing similar battle gear to what they did when we took out the ammunition factory. Asher looked sexy as fuck in his trench coat, and I always checked Dice’s suspenders because honestly, I found the variety amusing. He wasn’t fucking around today. They were black with skulls all over them.
“You know… you don’t have to do this, Speedy,” Aeron said.
“Yeah, I do. I mean it, Aeron. You can’t do anything until we are inside.”
Aeron grabbed me and kissed me. I wouldn’t say no to a kiss for luck, and honestly, I worried about Aeron. I was prepared for whatever the Bubbas were going to do to me before they got me to the White House. I knew it might hurt me physically, but that would be nothing compared to what it did to Aeron mentally. Sometimes, it was like he forgot he was created purely to stop the apocalypse and not to protect me from anything and everything.
I needed Aeron to focus on stopping the end of the world, not protecting me from a few Bubbas trying to kidnap me.
Aeron pulled away and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“I’m not going to ruin this, Ariel, but don’t give them a reason to hurt you.”
Dice shoved Aeron out of the way as Aeron grunted and nearly punched him.
“Kiss for luck, Speedy?”
“You’d all better kiss me for luck. This could go ass up.”
I grabbed Dice and pulled him down for a kiss. These angels could kiss like no one’s business, and when it came to other stuff… well. But no, I couldn’t focus on the fact that Asher had prevented me from getting laid since we got here because we had an entire planet to save.
I broke away from Dice and flung myself at Leif. Leif was always gentle and playful when he kissed me, but this kiss was deep and meaningful, like we were about to go take down the Antichrist. I pulled away and touched his cheek. I thought that was it. We had all kissed for luck, and hopefully not for the last time, now it was time to go. Someone grabbed me and yanked me away from Leif.
I was utterly shocked to be pressed against Asher’s chest, but not all that mad about it.
“Well, hello, Mister Asshole. I thought you were against this?”
“You’re like some Nephilim fungus. Half the time, you’re annoying as hell, but you grew on me. May I?”
If I wanted sweet words, I had three other angels for that. Asher had grown on me too. Ever since I saw that painting, I’d been adamant that I didn’t want to collect the whole Horsemen set. Now, it just felt weird not tobe dating all of them. Yeah, he was an ass at first, but I saw a different side of him, and I accepted him as he was.
“I’d be mad if you didn’t.”
Asher was an intense angel. Probably more intense than Aeron, just in different ways. He certainly kissed like it. My toes curled, and I wanted more. I briefly forgot the entire purpose of this kiss and wanted to get him naked on one of the mattresses right there and then. Asher pulled away first, and I wanted to yank him back.
Dice, Aeron, and Leif were both smirking at me when I was finally able to catch my breath.
“Are you both still doubting Speedy’s painting?” Dice said.
I wrinkled my nose.
“Do you know how many dead Bubbas are going to be in that room? Weare nothaving an orgy in there.”
“You say that now… but you do get pretty horny when I’m covered in gore,” Aeron said.
“Oh, shut up. Let’s go stop the apocalypse.”
Chapter 24
I
