Chapter 26
Despite the King’s murder and the15Please respect copyright.PENANACtwPD6bT6m
man hunt taking over the city, the Orange Fox was still as popular as ever, if15Please respect copyright.PENANA44pswkGeCQ
not more so. With all that was going on in their lives, more and more people15Please respect copyright.PENANAGdrCGapiLD
needed an outlet for their angst and despair. Some of the people Vander had15Please respect copyright.PENANArNLAuefbJn
noticed, who had never been here before, were now here every night gambling or15Please respect copyright.PENANAL2tEIWZBUG
drinking their problems away. It made Ross happier than he had been in a long15Please respect copyright.PENANA6xImFrUPNJ
time, which made him thirst for even more riches.
Vander and Shea stopped at the15Please respect copyright.PENANAmhyumWKOYF
door that led into the man’s suite. Left was nowhere to be found, probably back15Please respect copyright.PENANAmmLQAeVvhf
outside with Right. Everyone knew you didn’t mess with the proprietor of this15Please respect copyright.PENANAxU8s5ONdFx
establishment if you didn’t want your darkest secrets to come to light.15Please respect copyright.PENANAkkh0CIp04k
However, there would probably come a time when he would meet someone who had15Please respect copyright.PENANAzfEEl030tr
nothing left to lose and would come knocking so he hoped Ross knew how to15Please respect copyright.PENANAy6USu4Ws0V
fight.
There were noises coming from15Please respect copyright.PENANA0hfBcIvJdL
behind the door. Based on the sweaty smell and the grunting sounds coming from15Please respect copyright.PENANAX8S89mNgxf
within, the two of them decided to wait until it was done before entering.
“I can feel you hovering!” Ross15Please respect copyright.PENANAat26bNlJ76
called out. “Come on in, don’t worry, I’m decent.” Vander and Shea exchanged15Please respect copyright.PENANA02KpXZoaJz
glances, but they pushed the door open anyway to head inside.
True to Ross’s word, he was15Please respect copyright.PENANAUbVgu24FN7
decent. He was sitting behind his desk with his robe open showing off his15Please respect copyright.PENANAUntnZOyH1D
heavily muscled frame. In his hand was a glass of amber colored liquid that15Please respect copyright.PENANAmNBtoPZh5F
smelled heavily like whiskey. However, the show was happening on the couch that15Please respect copyright.PENANAzeimJcDMpO
Vander would have to walk past to talk to his patron. Two people, a man and a15Please respect copyright.PENANAdOb0HKpIml
woman, were in the middle of some passionate sex. He was inside her, while15Please respect copyright.PENANAWs4VCJ9W5g
playing with her breast, and thrusting like he would die tonight. Vander could15Please respect copyright.PENANAuay2oQSzJT
feel his lust start to creep out, but he closed his eyes to center himself.
“Interesting, isn’t it?” Ross’s15Please respect copyright.PENANAd2oGCBan5q
voice brought him out of his stupor. “How much you can learn by watching.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Vander took the15Please respect copyright.PENANAqVC6mOIe27
chair across from him making sure he could block the sight from his vision, but15Please respect copyright.PENANAVUV20FOWeW
he could still hear them going at it. “Why have you called me here? Certainly,15Please respect copyright.PENANAWKS6X6H78v
it wasn’t to watch two of your workers fuck each other.”
“No, that’s for me.” Ross15Please respect copyright.PENANA8klDa4QnvH
chuckled. “I called you here to see if you remember the terms of our15Please respect copyright.PENANAbNAqwggmME
arrangement.” He wondered when the day would come Ross would ask about that. It15Please respect copyright.PENANAcplmNvRrsO
meant that he had something in mind, something he wouldn’t enjoy.
“I do.” Vander nodded. Ross15Please respect copyright.PENANAj3vzBTAlS4
prompted him to continue. Sighing, he said: “In exchange for your protection15Please respect copyright.PENANAmiaFt5jrb7
and anything I need, you wanted me to fight down in the cage for the guest’s15Please respect copyright.PENANACvmmeULydo
entertainment.”
“Correct.” Ross put down his15Please respect copyright.PENANANzLdWCy6cz
glass. “I have given you three months, generous of me, I know.” Vander rolled15Please respect copyright.PENANAQQdKu3XHie
his eyes. “But I’m calling in debt tonight. I can’t treat you as a champion,15Please respect copyright.PENANALEbvVqKggf
you must work your way up the ranks before fighting the bear.”
“I will not kill anyone.” Vander15Please respect copyright.PENANAgce7Rpfn6B
warned. “That was part of our deal, remember?”
“Of course,” Ross dismissed it15Please respect copyright.PENANAbj0RxbXXsC
with a wave of his hand. “It’s not often our duels end in deaths, just against15Please respect copyright.PENANAKG0FapnvIe
the bear.” He got up from the desk while removing his robe. Vander averted his15Please respect copyright.PENANAUAIXT1xmSv
gaze as the naked man walked past him to join the two on the couch. “Your first15Please respect copyright.PENANAjWHHD6G4f1
fight is tomorrow night. I have sent some things to your room to help you15Please respect copyright.PENANATxWdvv4eVH
relax. Right will come get you when it’s time.” Vander waited for the15Please respect copyright.PENANAZfmQsaJFq4
dismissal, but it never came. When he left Ross was biting the other man’s neck15Please respect copyright.PENANAn0HkWnBDA6
while stroking him.
Shea asked him what the meeting15Please respect copyright.PENANAO0aCFe0ubB
was about, so Vander explained it to her. She voiced her anger the entire walk15Please respect copyright.PENANAkgso6LUkr9
back to their bedroom. She wasn’t happy with the deal they had made with Ross15Please respect copyright.PENANAPEwTMaKxPG
in the first place, but she didn’t think he would force Vander to fight like he15Please respect copyright.PENANAYyazrRXU49
said he would. He was just glad Ross gave him as much time as he did to get15Please respect copyright.PENANAV8VFeho6Sn
over what had happened.
When two of them arrived back at15Please respect copyright.PENANAh7Ff6QDFEl
the room, both were on instant alert. They could hear giggling of two women15Please respect copyright.PENANAA58yZWjxUN
behind the door, so they relaxed. He knew the scent of one of them as the15Please respect copyright.PENANAbw46BMznaQ
bartender he had met the last time he was here. The second woman was new. He15Please respect copyright.PENANAhesY5ebzeM
heard that Ross had hired a new server just this morning, so it might have been15Please respect copyright.PENANAXdujFmvOsU
her. He wouldn’t know until he opened the door.
“I’m going to stay out here and15Please respect copyright.PENANAjMCLE98dlU
guard the door.” He could feel Shea’s judgement through their bond. It15Please respect copyright.PENANAgYKS97wz17
embarrassed him, but both knew that he wouldn’t be able to relax until the15Please respect copyright.PENANAtIJr8YMEYR
demon was satisfied in all ways. It was the animalistic urge that filled him.15Please respect copyright.PENANAR2LWFaIUec
This was one of the few ways to sate that thirst. Ross knew what he was doing15Please respect copyright.PENANACjJkZrrrii
when he invited Vander to witness the display in his office. It had made him15Please respect copyright.PENANAENZAqHXJx1
hungry.
He stepped into the room to see15Please respect copyright.PENANAim0PLeR2yE
two beautiful women sitting on his bed. The blonde bartender waved at him15Please respect copyright.PENANASS8OEkCXJ3
before giving him a coy wink. The second he didn’t recognize, however she15Please respect copyright.PENANA9ERwouewNt
seemed familiar. He must have seen her around the warehouse the past couple of15Please respect copyright.PENANA0buKMo7Jtf
days but didn’t think much of it. The two women got up from the bed, pulling15Please respect copyright.PENANAucWLmWtjbs
him over to them. The blonde placed her mouth on his while the brunet started15Please respect copyright.PENANA4eG6OaOx0z
pulling off his shirt. For once he and the demon were of mind. They didn’t want15Please respect copyright.PENANAJdgn1ZPC4X
to leave here until it was time for the fight.
…
Vander snoozed in his bed15Please respect copyright.PENANAVTDK3Vybdg
completely drained. Despite what he wanted, he was only able to for an hour or15Please respect copyright.PENANA8Q3gN8GycB
so before the events from the night before caught up to him. Hopefully he left15Please respect copyright.PENANArdgVWMMZdf
the two women feeling satisfied, but he knew it had more to do with what they15Please respect copyright.PENANAwjrbOIgbeR
did for each other than he did, but it was still fun, so he had no complaints.15Please respect copyright.PENANAtvSxTEkTjX
Shea refused to sleep on the bed until it was cleaned and the stench from his15Please respect copyright.PENANAKmL6krgVDy
two visitors was completely wiped away. So, she slept on the floor by his side15Please respect copyright.PENANAEQMpB2njJ8
of the bed as he rested.
Ever since the night of Malcolm’s15Please respect copyright.PENANAA7bQigYSUK
murder, the gods had been quiet. He no longer received strange dreams from15Please respect copyright.PENANAoFv1I5jHc7
either Veyar or Unna, which concerned him greatly. He couldn’t remember the15Please respect copyright.PENANAiSnviNn4s2
last time he hadn’t had a visit, but he knew that he should enjoy it while it15Please respect copyright.PENANAsBL2e9dGjk
lasted.
He rested until about midmorning15Please respect copyright.PENANAJpULVxQU9b
when the sun was up, and he could hear the cleaners tidying up after the events15Please respect copyright.PENANAZVTv1k1Mbk
from last night. He walked over to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He made15Please respect copyright.PENANAsfNmfkYOXv
sure that his hair dye hadn’t slipped while it was wet before getting dressed.15Please respect copyright.PENANA0WLmSl34GL
He chose a pair of brown trousers, a white shirt, and his boots. As far as15Please respect copyright.PENANAlrzZsbC1Ap
disguises went, it wasn’t much, but that was exactly the point. He would be15Please respect copyright.PENANAxtE4AOwXAR
able to blend in with the crowds.
“Where are you going?” Shea15Please respect copyright.PENANAPm84ZcVzIz
asked. He could tell that she was tired because her eyes were drooping.
“I want to go to the safe house15Please respect copyright.PENANA0HrRmUaKoI
and see if anything happened while I was here.” Vander explained. He strapped a15Please respect copyright.PENANAWGsf7T3Hz1
sword, a different sword than his Blade weapon, to his back before throwing a15Please respect copyright.PENANANkaRsYE4X6
messenger bag strap over his shoulder. “If the guards were paying attention15Please respect copyright.PENANAAFi1pAnz4y
they would notice the carnage. I want to see who else shows up.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Shea15Please respect copyright.PENANA1nePuWh6JM
asked. “What if someone recognizes you?”
“In the unlikely event of that15Please respect copyright.PENANANIsbbKemxy
happening, I can lose them.” Vander promised. She wasn’t entirely convinced it15Please respect copyright.PENANAULISCocpQ6
was safe, especially if she couldn’t go with him. However, they both knew that15Please respect copyright.PENANA5aSnaQjQBp
was the only choice they could make. If they wanted to get back to their home,15Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZAS36mMQ4
they would have to take risks. Vander kissed her on the top of her head15Please respect copyright.PENANA6ATy7RraaQ
promising to return soon before slipping out the door.
He greeted all the workers as he15Please respect copyright.PENANAujl4sW6epa
left, blowing a quick kiss to the blonde as she cleaned up the bar. Right and15Please respect copyright.PENANAQcBBAgIQ1V
Left rolled their eyes but let him leave without stopping him. If he wanted to15Please respect copyright.PENANAcGZBFiRV8V
get caught that was his problem, not the bouncers.
The southern district looked a lot15Please respect copyright.PENANAFt3fUopxv8
different in the light of day than the dark of night. The homeless scrounged15Please respect copyright.PENANASL8fDviFzd
around for food that was left behind during the night or robbing the drunks who15Please respect copyright.PENANAHvzZi9TZuh
hadn’t been able to make it home before passing out in the alleys. Vander kept15Please respect copyright.PENANAoLia8atkdL
his nose to the ground unwilling to look any of them in the eye. Sometimes they15Please respect copyright.PENANAF6n6lDJLx5
saw it as a challenge and on multiple occasions he had been attacked. It was15Please respect copyright.PENANAd17tB9bsRy
over quickly, but it drew too much attention so he did what he could to not15Please respect copyright.PENANA4DDjiHhfzb
appear threatening.
Once he got to the gate separating15Please respect copyright.PENANAWqvNGxBLkg
the districts, the two guards on duty stopped him. They told him about a house15Please respect copyright.PENANAuwh0XiePLB
that had been broken into and the occupants had all been killed. They were15Please respect copyright.PENANA1310rDwH8t
given orders to question everybody coming in or out of the district. They asked15Please respect copyright.PENANAoTkDGZMEbC
for his name, of which he gave a fake one, then asked why he was coming into15Please respect copyright.PENANAngMXoAyPLm
the eastern district that day. He explained that he was on his way to picking15Please respect copyright.PENANAr9JmuRN5lw
up some packages from the market then delivering them to several different15Please respect copyright.PENANAqQtSYqitxc
people. Runners were quite common in the city, so the guards didn’t seem phased15Please respect copyright.PENANAxezSDTqCYW
by his explanation. When questioned about the sword, Vander laughed. He told15Please respect copyright.PENANA4dIgQjY8M2
them that they would also have a weapon on them if they knew where he was15Please respect copyright.PENANAixWP2JX0fI
going. Once they patted him down, they sent him on his way.
Vander expected some manner of15Please respect copyright.PENANA9DRAyJDUHy
traffic due to what he did the previous night, but he didn’t expect so many15Please respect copyright.PENANAiASlvHAKgd
guards. He even caught a couple of teal uniforms talking to some of them. So,15Please respect copyright.PENANAk9PpfqbPWd
the Blades were aware of what was going on, but the fact that the guards didn’t15Please respect copyright.PENANAAGKw1Lr07N
know meant that they were keeping the identities of the dead a secret. That15Please respect copyright.PENANAkzMzim35yV
didn’t bode too well for him, he had to make sure that his disguise was perfect15Please respect copyright.PENANA7CwvT9IjvF
to avoid suspicion.
He kept to the edge of the crowd,15Please respect copyright.PENANA2AUA3kwAyY
carefully making sure not to bump the people in front of him. However, the15Please respect copyright.PENANAzoXyXPezp5
crowd was so thick that he couldn’t see over anyone. Annoyed with himself, he15Please respect copyright.PENANA81iUbyjLtY
did the only thing he could do. He snuck off to a dark alley, positioned some15Please respect copyright.PENANAR3ZXyPAlXr
stuff in front of him so he couldn’t be seen, then bent down.
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He reached deep inside of him,15Please respect copyright.PENANABopUTmQIR7
touching the shard that was embedded into his body. It buckled in fought him,15Please respect copyright.PENANA1SZUXQ3atl
but he twisted the powers to suit his own needs. He could feel many different15Please respect copyright.PENANAklMgmIi4IZ
creatures around him, but the one he homed in on was the raven on the roof top15Please respect copyright.PENANAPCSWLUwOUm
above him. He pushed his consciousness inside and when he opened his eyes once again,15Please respect copyright.PENANAqcfWyGwmw6
he could see above the crowd and his own unconscious form down below. With a15Please respect copyright.PENANAGBuQ7Wfjj1
loud cry he beat his wings and flew.