Ruarc could not get up. He laid facedown there in the mud and dirt taking painful breaths. The metallic stench of blood is so strong and Ruarc feels sick to his gut. He would have thrown up if he could. His wounds were not healing. No wound hurt more than the wound of the heart, his mother always said whenever Ruarc spots a bruise on a body part. He knew his mother was abused, is still abused, for a reason he could not understand. He did not know what to feel when Massa stopped. It meant that she was wide awake. Ruarc closed his eyes and envisioned her. She would be standing before a mirror, tracing Sia’s mark with her fingers, still trying to come to terms with what happened. He heard the sound of approaching footsteps and rustling of leaves. He sniffed the air.
Humans.
“Oh, Daniel look what I’ve found.” A human female.
He heard a grunt, and he figured that it was Daniel.
“A naked man Sarai. Come on now let’s go.”
“But we can’t leave him like this.”
“Of course, we can.”
“Danny!”
“Don’t Danny me. Can’t you see the thick X marks on his back? It’s obvious he’s a criminal. Excuse you but I’m not going to care for a criminal.”
“But you won’t be the one caring for him Danny. I’ll do all that. He has a fine arse Danny, please.”
Ruarc rolled his eyes in the dirt. To think she’s only going to treat him because he has a fine arse. Humans can be ridiculous sometimes.
“I should be worried.”
“Don’t be Danny. If he causes us any trouble, I’ll leave it to you. But now, let me care for him, okay?”
There was a sigh. “Fine. I just hope I don’t regret this.”
“You won’t.”
?
Ruarc woke up to feathery kisses on his skin. He blinked awake, staring at the woman who was kissing his skin. Whoever she was, she was not Crinka. He sat up, pushing her away. Her expression was that of hurt, but Ruarc didn’t care, and rolled his eyes. He looked around the room. It was small without windows. It would be hard to know whether it was morning or not. He frowned. His back was numb, and he wondered why.
“Do you want water? Anything? Say something please.”
Ruarc knew what he wants of course, Crinka. He really didn’t want to talk, enjoying the uncomfortable silence, but she would keep on looking at him like that, and he needed to know where he was.
“I don’t usually talk to strangers, but I’d make an exception for you.”
She threw her head back and laughed, and Ruarc knew she was one of those people who were easily swayed with words. Ruarc listened to her laugh. Her laughter was like soothing music, and he wondered if Crinka laughed the same. He realized then that he had never heard Crinka laugh. Her fingers felt like feathers on his skin, and Ruarc eyed them as they trailed up his arm, stroked his collarbone, before those fingers returned to their former position on his lap. Ruarc swallowed.
Ruarc stopped. He knew of he didn’t, sex would become an unhealthy addiction for both him and Sarai who couldn’t seem to keep her hands off him.
“I don’t think I can today, Sarai, I’m sorry.”
She peered at him. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
He was surprised and certainly didn’t trust this ‘okay’. She left the room in a haste and Ruarc threw the covers off him. Today is the day. He would leave this place and go home. He stood awkwardly in the living room. It had no door leading outside. Sarai walked in and Ruarc was already talking.
“Thank goodness I found you Sarai, I…”
He stopped abruptly at the sight of the gun she was pressing against his manhood. His body went cold.
“If you don’t pleasure me, I’ll make sure you never get to pleasure any woman in your life.”
Ruarc stared at the curve in her collarbone. The hickeys there, were not his, He knew what she was, what she indulged in, and Ruarc knew without any doubt that he had become a client.
“If you want payment, I’ll give it to you.”
She scoffs. “All I want is your hands on me, then you can leave.”
He nodded, reaching out to brush a lock of hair back. He kissed her gently, as if her lips would fall off if he didn’t. It was the first time he had kissed her lips. She closed her eyes and unconsciously dropped the gun into his open palm.
Bingo.
He forcefully pushed her away from him, pointing the gun at her. “Back against the wall now!”
She glared, but obeyed. “My husband won’t let you get away with this.”
“The dead one or the live one?”, he barked. “Now, where are the herbs for my back and the way out of this hellhole.”
“My home is not a hellhole!”, she yelled.
Well, it’s about time someone changed home.
“But your pussy is,” Ruarc shot back. He hated every second that he had spent thrusting into her. He wished he didn’t get turned on each time she squeezed his balls. He hated being hard for her. There was only one woman, he was supposed to be hard for, and that woman isn’t Sarai. There were times he forgot to use a condom. Those days, he was sure not to come inside her. The last thing he needed was another Eloive.
She gasped and Ruarc rolled his eyes. “How dare…”
He fired, missing on purpose. Raja growled. It was a good thing he didn’t give Raja control, or this female would have been dead meat by now.
“The herbs, the exit, or I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”
“Baby! Danny! Get the herbs quick!”
Danny was alive? Who then had he strangled?
Danny appeared, holding a satchel. He threw it at her, she caught it. Ruarc expected him to come armed, but he was not. Maybe he didn’t care about dying then.
“The cops would be here soon. I told you that he was a criminal babe yet you wouldn’t listen.”
“I don’t care about that.”, she spat. “Eddie is dead and this bastard hasn’t paid. Make him understand that my body is not free.”
Like the person who made it put a price tag on it before. Rubbish. But was she really expecting Danny to ship out a gun? Poor girl had hopes.
“He would pay Sarai; this might be some rich bloke’s prodigal son. We just need his name. What’s your name?”
Ruarc eyed Danny. He was trying to put on a brave face, trying to intimidate Ruarc, but he was nervous and that killed it.
“Give me the herbs first.”
She handed him the satchel, scowling. “Your name.”
He fired. Danny swore, holding his bleeding foot. Sarai screamed and rushed to him. “R.”
He fired again, at the other foot. “U.”
The left knee. Sarai’s screams were making his ears bleed. He had no idea why she was making so much noise. She wanted a name, he was spelling it out for her, since most people had trouble spelling and pronouncing it. “A.”
The right knee. She was sobbing. “R.”
He blew Danny’s arm off. The gun was more loaded than he thought. “C.”
He chuckled. Danny couldn’t die yet. Nobody called the cops on Ruarc. Nobody.
“Let’s pronounce my name together Sarai.”
He didn’t wait for her. Danny’s dick fell into her open palms. “RUARC.”
Danny’s eyes rolled back into his head. Sarai screamed, charging at him. Ruarc fired. He didn’t usually hurt women, but Raja is in control.
“R-A-J-A.”