Night Prayers (33 page)

Still think I'm different, Preacher-boy?

Allison closed her eyes as she swallowed… and tried not to listen to the sound of Mica's sobs deep inside her mind.

Nothing
was different, she reminded herself.

Again.

Mica was sobbing so hard he could hardly breathe. Another drop of Gypsy's blood hit the side of his face and oozed slowly down toward the gag.
Oh God, please don't let it reach my mouth… PLEASE Lord
!

Allison shifted suddenly, dropping Gypsy's hand so that it brushed against his cheek
— smeared the blood across his skin.

You did that on purpose.

She didn't answer, just reached over the top of his head and lovingly pinched Gypsy's cheek.

"Thanks, Gyp," she said, "you're sweet."

Mica looked up as she moved away and saw Gypsy's normally lopsided grin go arrow straight.

"Oh, man," he said, slumping back into the chair next to Mica. "You don't know what you're missing. Yet. Hey, now… cut the waterworks, Preacher-boy. Don't you know these ladies have this thing about
holy
water?"

Gypsy laughed as he slapped Mica across the shoulders and untied the gag.

"You gonna be good and keep your homilies to yourself?"

Taking a ragged breath, Mica nodded and cranked his jaw from side to side.

"Good," Gypsy said, using the gag to wipe the tears and crying snot off Mica's face, "because I don't think you'd like to spend the rest of eternity without a tongue."

"I don't plan to spend —"

Don't say it!

Mica watched Allison walk over to another table and pick up the broom the assistant bartender had left behind. Standing it on end, she sniffled and wiped her nose off on the dusty straw. Ignoring him.

"— eternity like that," he finished.

I'm proud of you.

"Well, I'm proud of you, Preacher-boy," Luci said, verbally mimicking Allison's silent thought. "Maybe you won't be as hard assed about this thing as I thought you'd be. Kind of a pity in a way. I was hoping for a real knock-down drag-out with you."

Mica bit down on his tongue to remind himself of just how quickly he might lose it. A yard away, Allison suddenly jumped and jerked her head toward Luci. In the cold blue light her hair again looked like autumn leaves covered with early frost.

Hoarfrost.

Whorefrost.

Mica pressed back against the chair and tried for the hundredth time to work his hands free of the rhinestone collars tying his wrists together. They were even stronger than the plastic zip-lock cuffs the cops had him in earlier.

"No," Allison said. "You know I can't."

Luci shifted her weight, folding her arms across her naked breast.

"Shit, Luci," Allison said again, "because I'm fucking
allergic
to him, that's why. I get within a yard of him and my nose starts running. I don't even want to find out what would happen if I…"

Allison's voice trailed off and Mica blessed her for it.
That
only got him a pained looked.

Sorry.

Just keep those damn blessings to yourself
, her voice whispered to him.
Understand
.

Mica nodded — realizing at the last moment that he probably shouldn't have done something so obvious. Luci cocked her head and walked to the edge of the stage, the blue light dancing across her naked body like waves breaking on a marble shore.

"Something going on between you two?" she asked.

"What the fuck would be going on between us?" Allison said quickly, twirling the broom like a baton and smiling. "I already
told
you I can't stand being near him."

Mica watched Gina move in quickly — a coal black shadow against Luci's shimmering white one.

"I don't buy that shit for nothin'," she snarled, glaring down at Allison. "She be talkin' to him sure as I'm standin' here."

"That true, Alley-cat?"

"'Course it true. Just look at 'em… they be talkin' behind your back, Luci." Smoke-grey talons suddenly curved out from Gina's fingertips. "I said she wasn't't'be trusted, didn't I? Didn't I say that, Luci?"

Luci reached around behind her and patted Gina's thigh. "I asked you if what Gina said was true, Allison."

Allison set the broom aside and raised her right hand while drawing an
X
over her still heart with her left index finger.

"I
swear
there's nothing going on between us, Luci." She looked over her shoulder at Mica and sneered. "So help me, God."

Allison!

Mica watched her pull out a chair and sit down.
I'm already damned… what more could HE do
?

"Yeah, like you 'spect Luci't'believe that?"

"Don't fret, Gina," Luci said as she squatted down — spreading her legs just enough for Mica to see straight up into her open vulva
— and slid off the stage. "I don't think Alley-cat would lie… not to me."

Then Luci came straight at him. On tippy-toes.

"Oooo! This floor's so
cold
!" she said as she straddled his lap — squirming up against him… molding her coldness to the heat rising out of the front of his pants. "But you'll warm me up, won't you, Preacher-boy?"

LORD! I am MICA! Make me impervious to the temptations of this creature's dead flesh! Make me as unfeeling and cold as the rock for which I am nam —

"HOLY JESUS!"

Luci scooted back to his knees and began running a long red nail up and down the front of his zipper.

"Got nailed to a cross for shooting off his mouth about the glories of life after death." She dropped her hand between his legs and squeezed his sack hard enough to make his eyes water. "Well, why just pray to a man you never met when
I
can tell you all about it… in person."

Mica saw her fangs descend through his tears.

"Be… gone… unclean… spirit!"

Even Miriam applauded.

"I'm
impressed
, Preacher-boy! I didn't think you had it in you." Luci dug her claws in through the fabric of his jeans. "But I can yank it out if you like. See?"

Allison…

Every dark fantasy Mica had ever had since puberty became an even darker reality when Luci ripped away the crotch of his jeans. His penis -stiff and bloated as it came free
— dwindled to a limp mass in Luci's icy hand.

"Aw…" Luci said, jiggling him, "I think I broke it."

"NO! Dear Lord — why have you forsaken me?"

Luci tightened her grip on his weakened flesh — bringing his attentions back to earth.

"Hey, if Big G didn't bother saving His own Son… why the fuck would He save a worthless, egotistical, psalms humping
—"

Luci twisted on his lap without letting go. It was all Mica could do to swallow back the moan.

"What was that word you called him, Alley-cat?"

Mica eased one eyelid up.

"Sanctimonious," she said softly… not looking at him.

"Yeah," Luci said turning —
Thank you, Lord —
back to him, "sanctimonious… great word. You got one, Miriam?"

"A schlemiel," the tiny voice piped up, "with delusions of grandure, yet."

"Alley-cat?"

Mica looked over at her — still silent, still looking away.

"Aw, come on, Alley-cat .. think of a name."

Blue light poured down Allison's hair as she shook her head.

"No."

Holy man.

Only Mica heard the name. And only Mica understood its meaning.

"Okay, next? Gina… do
you
have a name for the Preacher-boy?"

"Yeah," the black shadow said leaping off the stage, "how 'bout
dinner
."

Luci's fangs were dripping with saliva as she smiled.

"Good choice… but first a little fun… just to heat up the blood a little."

Mica felt his body arch back as Luci pumped his cock rigid and slipped him into her.
NO! God NO! Please, Lord… You can't
! It felt like he was sticking his rod into a vat of ice cold oatmeal.

Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed the scar on his forehead.

"No," Mica gasped, "you can't… it's my — my sign!"

Luci traced the outline or the cross with her tongue.

"First rule, Preacher-boy, if you don't believe in something it doesn't exist. Just like vampires, huh?

"So just sit there and enjoy the show, Preacher-boy," Luci said, tipping his head forward so he could watch himself appear and disappear below her dead white curls. "
Then
we'll see to that all precious soul you're always talking about."

my god my god my god my god my god my god my

"Just let it go, Preacher-boy," Luci said, quickening her pace — the stench of her filling his lungs and making him wish he still had the gag in his mouth. "You know you always wanted me. Every time you saw me you
know
all you wanted to do was get me down and hump me raw. Isn't that right,
Milo
?"

"Sure as hell did," Gypsy chuckled. "Most nights I thought I'd have to hose him down."

"See," Luci purred into his ear, "everyone
knows
how much you wanted to fuck me. So come on, Preacher-boy… let it go.

no

"Give it to me, Preacher-boy… enlighten me…

No

"Fuck me, you sanctimonious bastard!"

"NO!"

Too late… always. Too late.

Mica's body jerked against the chair as he shot his load — straight out into the middle of the room… following Luci's sudden —
backwards —
withdrawal.

"Wh-what…?"

believe

Luci was dancing in circles a yard in front of him — struggling with a broken length of broom handle protruding from her mouth.

"YOU FUCKING CUNT!" Gina scream — claws and fangs extended. "I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Mica ducked as Gina sprang, even though he wasn't anywhere near the line of
fire. There was just something about a woman instantly changing into a black
panther that made a man want to duck and cover and —

Believe, Mica!

Allison's voice. Again. Telling him…
commanding
him.

"I do believe!"

"Then fucking say it!"

Mica took a deep breath and began the
Lord's Prayer
— the first thing that sprang to mind — as Gina took the straw end of the broom straight through the heart.

Three groans, all female, almost drowned him out.

believe

The pain in her chest was worse than the first time…
much
worse. It felt like a rat was trying to chew its way out, but Allison couldn't stop to think or even acknowledge it.

Gripping the edge of the table to steady herself, she saw that she wasn't the only one suffering. Miriam was curled into a tight little ball on the floor next to her overturned chair — trembling — the mutilated cat pressed to her belly like a favorite toy.

This? We take you in and treat you like family and this is what you do? I should have let Gina tear you a new asshole that first night.

Luci wasn't in much better shape. Worse maybe. The punk-girl's fresh red blood still bubbled around the broom stick, covering Luci's pale flesh from chin to crotch… but she was still trying to get up… still glaring at Allison.