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

Her dress was dirty from lying on the ground, but she didn’t care. She lit a cigarette and summoned the scimitar. “Okay, Feathers. Jack already donated blood. You’re up.”

“Okay.” Gabby bravely held out her palm.

Bailey regarded the slim hand with uncertain eyes. She then thrust the sword into the angel’s other hand. “You cut it. I’m not your fucking servant.”

“You couldn’t hurt me,” Gabby said. Then she immediately corrected herself. “You were going to chop my hand off, weren’t you? It was too much of a temptation.”

Bailey squinted like the angel was crazy, then she realized she’d been given an out. “Fuck yeah, I wanted to chop your hand off, Feathers. That demon’s tooth wanted me to chop everything off, so just cut yourself. But be careful because Jack isn’t all pumped up with cannon power, so we can’t heal you some if you nick a vein or something.”

Gabby nodded, sliced her hand, and let the blood drip onto the blade.

Bailey grabbed it and spoke the spell, melting the blade into another key, this one with two long crossed femur bones. “The skull will get us in. The crossbones will get us out.” She had one eye shut against the smoke rising from the cigarette clamped between her lips.

They talked more, drank beer, and watched the wood turn to ash. It was nearly midnight when they finally made it back to Jack’s apartment. It was Gabby that ushered them in, and then she was on Jack, pushing him onto the sofa, getting them both naked. The insatiable angel straddled him until he was deep inside her again. This time she stared into his eyes as she rode him, up and down, wings out and halo going crazy.

Bailey watched, naked and sweating, masturbating until it was her turn.

Hours passed. They did everything together, and the sun was just starting to rise when they all collapsed into Jack’s bed. He found himself between the musky skin of the demon and the sweet perfume of the angel, and then he was sleeping, out to the world, relaxed and full of energy.

It was almost Thursday. They had less than two days until Friday night. They had about thirty-six hours to kill until they could travel to rescue Annie. Jack thought they’d pay a visit to Evelyn Mundi and her son, but that was never going to happen. They spent all Thursday in bed, sleeping, eating, or having sex. Jack had the cash to have food delivered, so it was a banquet of DoorDash.

Jack ordered three huge plates of Navajo tacos from Señor Chang’s, and if Gabby hadn’t already been orgasming nonstop, she would’ve come again when she tasted the Indian frybread.

It was hours of heaven, though at times, given how Bailey could get in the middle of their savage sex, it might’ve been a circle of pleasurable hell. Jack would shower, thinking they were done, but then he’d be drawn into more sex with the insatiable creatures.

By Thursday night, chafing had become a real issue. It was just after ten, and they’d ordered Thai shrimp enchiladas from Señor Chang’s. That place was amazing. They were in bed by midnight, Jack in the middle, with Gabby and Bailey squeezed against him on either side. He slept fitfully on his back for a few hours.

It was around three when Jack realized that Bailey wasn’t in bed with them. He found her out on the fire escape, smoking in the cold. She had on his big down coat but nothing else, and her tail, in its spiked form, rested on the cold metal under her chair.

Jack retrieved a blanket and went out through the kitchen window. “Bailey, what’s wrong?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. I couldn’t sleep, and then this body craved nicotine. I guess it’s an addiction. Addictions seem like a pain in the ass.”

“From all accounts, they are,” he agreed. “But there’s more to it than that. You’re worried.”

“I’m not worried,” the demon insisted. “We’re going to hell. It was where I was created. It’s where I belong. Hell. Sure. It’s not a big deal.”

“Sure. Not a big deal.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’ll head back to bed then, if you’re not worried.”

“I’m not worried for me.” She shrugged again, like he was being dumb. “You’ll probably be all right. Time Knights are badass, legendary, fucking mythical. From the little I’ve heard...the little I know. Okay, full disclosure? I have no idea what a Time Knight is. I don’t think anyone does. The fucking Clockwatcher probably made that shit up.”

“So you’re worried about Gabby?”

That drew a dramatic eye roll from the demon. “She’s the enemy. She’s part of an angelic legion, Jack. She’ll always fight for the good and righteous. Maybe we should just let Kerrata give Annie to Duke Tanichron. I mean, she’s just this mortal girl you had a crush on for five minutes. It’s not like you were meant to be soul mates or whatever.”

Jack leaned against the railing. Good thing he’d slipped his feet into his slippers or he’d be freezing a toe off at that point. “Are you thinking that Gabby won’t make it out of hell alive?”

Bailey didn’t answer right away. She sat on one of his dining room chairs, arm resting on her leg. “If she dies, she dies. It’s not like I love her like some kind of long-lost sister I’ve always wanted. It’s not like she’s fucking annoying and kind and so pretty and smells like what heaven probably smells like.”

“Yeah, fuck heaven,” Jack said.

It was like Bailey didn’t hear him. She flicked ashes off her cigarette. Then she locked eyes with him. “If she blows that horn in hell, and if anyone hears it, there’s a good chance it will be taken as a declaration of war. I mean, there’s already the Time War happening, or will have happened, or whatever. But if her legion realizes she went to hell, without permission, her commander will be pissed. She’ll be wanted, an outcast, a fucking fallen