Time Jacker by Aaron Crash (nonfiction book recommendations .TXT) 📕

off at the South Creek Picnic Area, and while he couldn’t drive to the tables and fire rings, he found a place to park by the gate. He turned off his car, and they listened to the engine tick. The inside of the Ford Whatever would be warm for a while.

Bailey laughed unexpectedly. It was a jagged, unhappy sound. “It doesn’t matter, Jack. I was literally born to be evil, created by hell to fight heaven, to kill angels, and to tempt the innocent into giving me their Ijjinaya. Then, when they died, I would take their souls down into the wicked abyss. I said fuck that. Not only was it boring as hell, but I preferred lust to death. Sex is so much better than murder. Sex is fun, and exciting, and it makes me feel so good. We can decide who we want to be. If you want to fucking wear a white hat, wear a fucking white hat.”

Gabby surprised them both by tearing out of the car. She hurried off into the darkness, but it seemed like she wanted them to follow her because they could see her halo, glowing in the night.

“What crawled into her feathers and died?” Bailey asked sarcastically.

“I think I have an idea.” Jack got out of the car and went to the trunk. He grabbed the bundle of split pine he’d bought at King Soopers, then crunched across the gravel to get to the picnic area.

Gabby sat with her wings out, sword and horn on her golden belt. “Make the fire,” she said.

Bailey walked over on her stilettos, maneuvering over the dirt fairly well.

Jack got the flames crackling, and Bailey drew uncomfortably close, though she was probably basically fireproof being from hell. She’d brought a bag of supplies along with the spear and scimitar, the teeth of the two demons they’d killed. She also had her cigarettes and a little pint bottle of cinnamon schnapps.

Once the fire was burning, Gabby left the table where she’d been sitting and drew close. “Put out your hand, Jack.”

Jack stood next to the fire. He put out his hand, palm up.

Gabby had a vial of the holy water. It was glowing with silvery light. “This is sacred water, blessed by the divine and my own soul. It will tell me what I need to know.”

She dripped water on Jack’s palm. He expected it to sizzle, or to burst into flames, but nothing happened. It was warm, and actually felt pretty good.

Gabby looked at him with love in her eyes. “I would imagine you’ll be wearing a light gray hat from here on out, Jack Masterson. You’re not a black hat, and while you’ll do things I won’t approve of, you’ll follow your moral compass. I bless you, and I love you.”

Jack saw that she wasn’t saying any of that ironically.

The angel motioned for the demon to step forward. “Put out your hand, Beyazul Baal the Unclean, of the Tanichron horde.”

It wasn’t Bailey this time. It was her demonic name, and Gabby had mentioned Tanichron, which was a mistake. Bailey wasn’t a part of any horde. She’d made that clear.

“Fuck you, Feathers,” the sex demon shot back. “I’m not letting you burn me with holy water. I’m evil, okay? I’m going to use Jack’s dirty money and buy seven black hats, one for each day of the week.”

“Put out your hand, or I’ll use my horn,” Gabby said sternly.

“And I’ll fucking Exoria your ass.” The two women—one light, the other dark—stared at each other in their full forms, horns to halo, blue eyes to black.

Jack stepped between them. “Bailey, over and over, you’ve shown that you’re not a normal demon. Let’s just try. Please.”

Bailey stepped back and flung out her hand. “Fine. Burn me. I don’t care. You know, I was just fucking counting down the minutes until I could leave your lame asses in the dust.”

Gabby dumped the rest of the vial of holy water into Bailey’s palm.

The succubus winced, but nothing happened. She looked down at her wet hand in wonder, and in seconds, the water was gone, all dried up.

Bailey looked like she might burst into tears. “But, that water, I couldn’t touch it before. It was holy water, like death to vampires, or whatever. I’m evil. I’ve done shit—a thousand times, a zillion times—worse than shooting some rapist asshole in a bar parking lot.”

Tears flowed down Gabby’s cheeks. “You are not what you once were, Beyazul Baal. I bless you, and I love you.”

Gabby then stepped forward and took Bailey into her arms. The two kissed, passionately, and Jack watched, getting hard.

The angel, still holding Bailey’s waist, turned and drew Jack in for a kiss. Their first kiss. Her smell was sweet and clean, and her body was hot. He had to close his eyes because being that close to her, her halo was getting a bit too bright.

Then his lips touched hers, and they were soft and gentle, and he thought it might be a rather innocent kiss until her tongue found his. Gabby moaned into his mouth, and whatever oath she’d taken not to get involved with either him or Bailey seemed to melt away in that moan, in that kiss.

The angel gave his mouth a last lick and she leaned back from him. “I need you to fuck me as hard as you fucked Bailey.”

Was it the first time he’d heard the angel curse? He thought so. But he wasn’t about to complain or tell her no.

Chapter Thirty-One

JACK PICKED GABBY UP and carried her to the picnic table by the fire.

Bailey must’ve read his mind because she tossed a few logs in, to get bigger flames and to give them some time for their sex. He didn’t want to pause to stoke the fire.

Jack helped Gabby out of her blazer, and she set it demurely down on the table. Then it was easy to slip the angel’s blouse off, and he kissed her all the while.