Time passed slowly for Logan. As welcome and valued as Karen’s company was, he worried about Beauty nearly every waking moment. One day became two, and then nearly a week with no sign of the Succubus. More than once he considered going out to look for her, but among all the ravines and broken landscape, he knew the chances of running into her were slim to none. There was nothing to do except wait and hope all was well.

On day five since her departure, a sudden noise from the outside entrance sent Logan bolting to his feet in a state of high alert. He looked up at where the sound had originated, sword and dagger in his hands. A moment later, Beauty stumbled into the light, Billy clutched around her left arm.

“Hunters,” she growled and dropped to her knees, a large backpack falling from her shoulders to the cavern floor.

He rushed to her side with Karen only a few steps behind. A quick exam revealed the wound to be shallow. Only a graze but her flesh was not cut clean as if it would be from a blade or arrow. The wound was a blunt tear.

He knew that kind of wound. Shock and disbelief trickled down his spine like cold water. It looks like a bullet wound.

“Beauty, look at me.” Her beautiful, golden eyes turned up toward him. “Listen to me, Beauty. When you were wounded… just before it happened, did you hear a loud, sharp sound?”

The Succubus nodded, confirming his worst fears. Guns. Logan stared at the sword in his hand and knew despair. Jesus H. Christ, the enemy has guns!

“How many hunters, Beauty?” he asked. “How far way?”

“Four humans and a Hell Hound,” she reported in an exhausted voice. “Half day behind.”

Only hours away, Logan translated.

“Let’s get her comfortable on the moss.” He told Karen as he lifted Beauty in his arms.

Karen ran ahead to roll up a hide as a pillow and grab the partially completed blanket. Logan carried his lover over and gently lowered her to the moss. Karen tucked her in.

“Logan, what are we going to do?” she asked with a tremor in her voice.

Logan smiled with a confidence he didn’t feel. “It’s going to be fine, Karen. Your job right now is to look after Beauty. Nothing else. Leave the rest to me, ok?”

“Yes.” Karen took a deep, shaky breath. “Yes, I can do that.”

“Good girl.” He smiled and kissed her forehead.

That should distract her from panicking for a while. The last thing he needed at this moment was a civilian with idle hands and an active imagination. Fear was contagious and potentially fatal. The best cure was something else to focus on.

With Beauty slipping in and out of consciousness, it was on Logan to keep his women, his harem, safe from the attack he knew was coming. Any hunter worth the name would be able to follow Beauty’s wounded retreat, right to their shelter. That they had a hound to follow her scent made it a certainty. The enemy was closing in, they had guns, and time was not on his side.

What to do? A quick inventory of his available resources was not encouraging. Assorted Bones, bone needles, furs, gut chord, three knives, a short sword, and a bag of spearmint smelling moonshine was not much to mount a defense with.

A quick search of the heavy backpack Beauty had returned with produced the supplies they had agreed to purchase in the city. He added to his mental inventory as he pulled out ten metal sewing needles, three spools of twine, a large bag of salt, a whetstone, a small sack of flour, a fire starter kit, a pot, a small frying pan, five boxes of matches, cloth for bandages, two blankets, fifty feet of rope and…

At the bottom of the backpack were items not on their buying list. Carefully folded and tucked away was a man’s shirt and pants in his size as well as pants, shirts, and shoes for a smallish sized woman. Just about the right for a woman like Karen.

Logan shook his head and smiled. Despite the considerable weight of all those supplies and the immense distance she had to travel to bring them back, Beauty had still opted to go above and beyond. With no consideration of her burden, she had thought of Logan and Karen.

“They are not going to win, Beauty.” Logan quietly promised his demon lover. “I won’t let them.”

Only hours away and the minutes were rapidly tick-ticking by. Alone and facing a superior enemy, Logan struggled to come with a way to keep that promise. If he failed, death would be the best result any of them could hope for.

Karen rose from Beauty’s side to approach. “She needs you.”

Logan moved to Beauty’s side and took her hand between his.

She smiled up at him. “Beauty will be fine. Just tired. Pack heavy!”

“I believe it!” He chuckled. “Thank you for the clothes.”

“Welcome, but Logan… Beauty is hungry.”

“Uh, now?”

She squeezed his hand with surprising strength. Her golden eyes flared. “Many days. Much travel. Beauty starving! Can’t fight. Need feed to heal.”

To emphasize her point, the demon pulled the fur blanket back to reveal her body. Karen had helped her remove the leather armor. Beauty lay before him in all her glory. His breath caught in his throat. So many days had passed since he had last seen those full, magnificent breasts, that tapered waist, and those strong, sexy legs. She was still the most astonishing example of female perfection he had ever laid eyes on.

Still, even with such a glorious feast at hand, Logan couldn’t imagine worse timing for sex. With danger ever drawing closer with every passing moment, fun time was the last thing on his mind! To make matters worse, Beauty was in no condition to be an active partner. What to do?

After a moment of furious thought, he nodded. “Beauty do you have to feed on me directly?”

She looked at him in confusion.

“You can feed on women too, right? What about feeding on a woman with a man’s seed inside of her?”

The demon's eyes flew wide. She nodded eagerly. Karen looked up with interest.

“Ok then.” Logan decided. “This will have to be quick. No time for extended foreplay.” He stood and began to strip out his clothes. “Beauty, I need your venom. Hit me with your best shot.”

The Succubus looked at him with a worried expression. “Strongest when bite.”

He put his arm down by her head. “Do it.”

Beauty closed her eyes in concentration. A moment later, they opened as did her mouth to reveal small, sharp fangs. He barely felt the pinch as she gently pierced his flesh. She looked up at him. “Taste you. Make venom stronger. Karen can help.”

“Strangest threesome ever,” he muttered as he settled into his knees by the demon’s head and guided his half-hard erection into her waiting mouth. Karen crawled over to join them. Logan began to roll his hips, sliding his shaft over the demon’s purple, swirling tongue.

Karen moved behind him, lay on her back, and maneuvered herself up between his legs until she was staring up at his balls. “This is so hot! I love watching you slide between Beauty’s sweet lips.” Her tongue snaked out to lick and tickle around his sack as her fingernails trailed gently over his thighs and flexing ass.

He could see and feel his shaft growing between Beauty’s plush, black lips. “That’s good, Karen.” he groaned. “Keep talking dirty to me.”

“Ooh, fun!” she giggled. Her dark eyes stared up at him from beneath the sawing motion of his wet length. “You want to hear me use my slutty mouth? She leaned up to lick the underside of his shaft. “I love the taste of her on your skin!” She moaned, low in her throat, and nibbled gently at the tight skin sheathing his balls. “So full already! I’m fingering myself right now just thinking about that hot load filling my body!”

“Yep, that did the trick.” Logan withdrew his fully hard shaft from Beauty’s mouth. She whined in protest. “Karen, make our girl feel good while I take care of you. Ass up, please.”

“Yessir!” Karen grinned and scrambled to get into position between Beauty’s thighs, as ordered.

She wasted no time, diving right in. Beauty was already starting to moan and writhe against Karen’s face by the time Logan settled onto his knees at the end of this chain of shared lust. Karen spread her legs for him, revealing a wet and eager honey pot.

Thinking about their last encounter, Logan grinned. His palm whipped down in a playful slap across one cheek. Karen jumped; her squeal of surprise muffled in Beauty’s dripping sex. She looked back at him. Excitement danced in her eyes.

“Too tempting to resist,” he said with a cheeky smile.

She grinned back and wiggled her ass at him. “That hurt so good! Do it again! Make me beg for it!”

The crack of his hand on her other cheek echoed like a gunshot. “Get back to work, dirty girl,” he growled playfully.

“Yes sir,” Karen giggled, dark eyes dancing with happy, shameless lust.

Logan began to switch back and forth between rubbing the head of his shaft between her slick lips and landing a sharp slap on her cheeks, teasing her with a random mix of pain and pleasure to a high state of arousal. He watched her olive skin turn to a blushing pink. Each blow made him harder and forced a quivering moan from Karen’s busy mouth which, in turn, sent shivers radiating out of Beauty’s sex and across her lavender-colored flesh.

He would have liked nothing more than to continue this erotic game for hours but that wasn’t an option. Despite the wondrous distraction of his two, lovely, wanton females, Logan could feel the steady tick of time passing him by. A threat to him and his was drawing near.

Logan shook dark thoughts away, determined to give his best for his women, for as long as he had it in him to give. Even his life, if that was what it took to keep them safe, but not yet. For this one precious moment, possibly their last, there was only the loving union of three people determined to find some measure of joy in a world gone mad.

Despite the looming danger, or perhaps because of it, Logan realized that he was incredibly blessed to share the desires and devotion of not just one, but two remarkable women. His heart swelled with pride and deep affection. Logan gazed down at them in silent wonder, writhing and moaning in all of their boundless, beautiful sexuality.

Karen looked back, face shiny and dripping with demonic honey. She bit her lower lip and stared at him with dark, lively eyes and shook her ass at him in wanton invitation. “I’m going out of my mind! Please fuck me, Logan.”

“Take her, Logan.” Beauty smiled at him as she caressed her bountiful breasts. “Mount her. Claim her. Fill her with hot seed for Beauty.”

“It would be my pleasure, ladies.” He replied and aligned himself at Karen’s swollen entrance.

“No, the pleasure is mine.” Karen laughed.

“No, mine.” Beauty grinned.

Claim her he did. As wet and ready as Karen was, Logan was able to bury his full length between her rosy cheeks in one long, slow stroke. She threw her head back and cried out in pure hedonistic joy as his shaft slid into the hilt.

Beauty reached up to guide Karen’s head back down. Logan helped by driving into Karen, pushing her face-first into Beauty’s sex. He held nothing back, rocking forward into Karen’s body with a strong and steady rhythm. Her ass cheeks were hot, pink, and tender beneath the gentle caress of his hands.

Karen peaked first, screaming her pleasure into Beauty’s wet folds. The Succubus soon followed, quaking, moaning, and feverishly pinching her nipples. It was too much for Logan. His balls boiled over and erupted, shooting blast after blast into Karen’s spasming depths. Euphoric pleasure rolled over and through every part of his body as he plundered and pumped her full of his seed.

He pulled out of with a wet squelch of mingled fluids and slapped her on the ass. “Go. Don’t waste a drop.”

Karen staggered up onto shaky legs and cupped a hand over her leaky sex. “This is so hot.” She grinned. “So fucking hot.”

“Give!” Beauty demanded. “Feed!”

Karen walked over Beauty’s prone body and knelt on the moss. She removed her hand and lowered her rosy pink ass onto the demon’s face and open mouth. Beauty dove in, tongue lashing at the other woman’s folds. Her strong, lavender fingers reached up to knead and squeeze the tender flesh of Karen’s tender buttocks. Karen squealed from the sweet wash of pain and pleasure.

Like squeezing the juice out of an orange, Logan thought with a chuckle.

Karen began to lick her hand clean of the fluids dripping down her fingers. Logan decided that was a fine idea and walked over to stand in front of her. She looked at the wet, half-hard shaft mere inches from her face, then up to gaze into his eyes. Without a word, Karen opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

Logan stepped forward to fill her waiting mouth. He watched her go to work, licking, kissing, and sucking his shaft and balls clean. Further down, Beauty’s nose was nestled in Karen’s dark pubes, eyes closed in sublime pleasure, her tongue deep into the brunette sitting on her face. It was an amazing thing to see. Links in a chain of intense, oral pleasure.

The Succubus seemed to sense his attention. Golden, cat eyes looked up into his as they worked Karen from above and below. Logan and Beauty shared a moment that belonged only to the two of them, communicating without any need of words neither of them had yet said to the other. The truth was in their eyes.

With a great sigh of reluctance, Logan stepped away and turned to get dressed. He suspected the women would be at it for a while longer. Knowing Beauty, there would be no mercy for Karen until the hungry Succubus was certain she had lapped up every drop. Karen’s ongoing cries of orgasmic pleasure were evidence of the demon girl’s iron-willed determination to lick and suck her clean.

Logan looked back to revel in that image of glorious, female lust. Enjoy all the pleasure you can, while you can, sweethearts.

He was happy on their behalf. For himself, the fun was over and the bloody business of war was about to begin.

*****

“Denke, the beast is hungry, I think.”

Karl Denke jerked on the chain collar around the Hell Hound’s neck. The beast had the scent of their prey now and muscles coiled beneath it’s hairless, black hide with the urge to be let loose. Saliva dripped from sharp, yellow teeth in anticipation of the kill.

“Yes, it is.” He looked around and nodded. “The trail is fresh. Our prey is heavily burdened and has grown weak. It won’t be long now. We will feast soon enough, beast.”

The three lesser servants assigned to assist Denke in his hunt fingered their weapons in savage anticipation. Their hard, human eyes scanned to the left, right, and rear of the Prussian Butcher, always vigilant for threat or opportunity. Both men and one woman proudly bore a mark of ownership burned into the right cheek and scars from many battles fought on their demon Master’s behalf. Each wore a large backpack stuffed with survival gear.

The clawed footprints of the lavender Succubus led them to, and vanished at, a sheer wall of rock. Vines and scrub brush clung to the weathered stone in tangled patches. Nothing moved except the wind.

“Where did the bitch go?” Pierre asked.

“Quiet,” Denke rumbled and looked up the cliff. “We’re close. I can smell her fear. Drop the packs. Weapons only from here. Billy, climb up and see where she might be hiding. Pierre, search around and make certain she did not double back on her trail. Sonja, stay alert for an ambush.”

Billy began to climb. He vanished over a ledge only to re-appear moments later. “There’s a cave entrance up here.”

“Ah,” Denke smiled. “I have you now, little bitch, and whatever it is you are trying so hard to hide. Up we go. Quick and quiet now.”

“Not you, beast.” Denke jerked the snarling Hell Hound back. “It is stealth and surprise we need now, and proof of kill, not half-digested corpses. Your part in this chase is over.” He hooked the chain leash to a metal spike and, with one massive blow of a hammer, drove the spike deep into the ground. “That should hold you,” he laughed and pointed at the ground.

“Sit.”

The beast snarled at him, then sat.

“Stay,” Denke ordered and climbed up the ledge to join the others.

The way was narrow. The three hunters had to climb up and duck into the dark crevasse one at a time. Denke went last, struggling to squeeze his armored bulk through the break in the rock.

He gestured for Pierre to lead the way. The ground immediately sloped downward and ever deeper into the earth and unbroken darkness.

Pierre stared into the thick blackness and felt dread coil in his gut. He didn’t like this, not at all, but what choice was there? The way back was blocked by the rest of his team and their demon Master who would suffer no reports of cowardice from his servants.

None of them had counted on cave diving when this chase had begun. Without lights, there was nothing to do except shuffle forward through the darkness, one step at a time. Pierre took a step, and another- right into a sudden, sharp drop. Before he knew what was happening, something jagged speared through the sole of his boot.

Billy, following blindly behind, heard the rattle and thump of Pierre crashing to the ground. A blood-curdling scream of agony exploded through the darkness, battering painfully at their ears in the tight confines of the tunnel. Denke rushed forward to lean past Sonja in third place. A match flared bright yellow in his fingers.

Billy looked down and recoiled at the sight. “Bloody fuck!”

The lead hunter lay in the dirt of the narrow passage. His left foot was ankle-deep in a hole and bent at a grotesque angle. The fluttering light reflected off of ragged flesh and the white shine of jagged, shattered bone. The mist that was his life force seeped out of his foot and ankle and that wasn’t even the worst of it

Metal needles sprouted from Pierre’s face and hands, including one that had pierced his right eye. All around where he had fallen, a small minefield of darkened, ash-covered needles sprouted point up out of the ground. Writhing about in screaming agony only embedded more needles into his flesh.

“End that noise!” Denke bellowed over the echoing screams from his position in the back of the line. Billy raised his hand ax and drove it down with all his strength. The screaming stopped.

Denke laughed. “Aren’t you just the clever, tasty, little treat? I will savor every bite of your delicious flesh.” He gave Billy a hard shove in the back. “Keep moving. We will loot his corpse of gear on our return.”

Billy was less than eager to lead the way further into the narrow darkness but he reluctantly complied. They each stepped over the body and moved forward, kicking needles aside and testing each step carefully in the black. Denke wasted a match after expensive match to provide some small measure of light, growing angrier with his mounting costs as each one flared and died. Sweat trickled into Billy’s eyes and down his neck as he imagined new horrors with every step and labored breath.

Finally, just ahead, beyond a turn in the rock, he saw a spill of orange light. A glance at his feet revealed no more dangers. Spear held at the ready, he stepped out into the cavern, certain that the worst was over.

A rope snapped up out of the dirt, inches from the right side of his face to something above and behind. The man turned as liquid splashed down on his head, stinging his eyes and reeking of spearmint. He heard the spark of a match.

“Oh shit,” he muttered. And then his world was fire.

*****

Logan knew the enemy was close when he heard the first man scream. One down, I hope. He thought. Four to go.

He looked over to Beauty and Karen, both crouched behind the cover of rock. “Remember the plan.”

“Logan…” Beauty snarled.

“No, Beauty! No more talk. You’re still too weak for a pitched battle, and if they get through me, you are our last hope.” He didn’t say out loud what they were all probably thinking. Because I will likely be dead. “Stick to the plan.”

He hurried to get into position. With any luck, the spiked trap and the minefield of needles he had planted in the dirt would slow them enough to give him time to be ready. Logan moved in a fast combat crouch behind a thick spire of stalagmite where all of his chosen weapons of war were carefully arranged for easy access.

The first to step into the orange light of the cavern was a servant according to the tattoo on the man’s right cheek. And yet, despite being little more than property himself, the man was vastly better equipped than any demon Logan and Beauty had previously fought.

A brown, leather, combat vest, with many loops and pockets for equipment, protected his torso over a long-sleeved, rust-colored, shirt. Pants of the same color were tucked into stout, weather-beaten, brown leather boots. A dagger hung from his right hip. On his left hip was a holster. In one hand was a short sword. In the other was what Logan had feared, a pistol. A pair of brass goggles perched on his forehead over a leather cap meant to shield his skull from injury.

Not this time. Logan pulled on the first rope. It snapped up out of the dirt he had hidden it in, pulling the leather bag from a narrow ledge in the rock above the cavern entrance. The rotgut liquor splashed down. Logan thumbed a match to life, lit the cloth wrapped rock in his other hand, and threw.

His aim was good. Logan watched the man flail, burn, and fall.

Two down. Three to go.

At this angle, the enemy would have no good shot at him without stepping out in the cavern, and out of the cover of darkness. If he was very lucky, they would cut their losses at this point and retreat. If not, it would be two against one, as well as guns versus blades and dirty tricks.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Logan gave himself 50/50 odds to survive.

“Come get me, you fuckers,” he growled. “I’m waiting.”

Despite the words of challenge, Logan was worried. He had expected that the Hell Hound would be first through the breach to flush him out and buy time for the hunters to get into position to attack. Yet, the beast was nowhere to be seen.

The next one, a woman, hurtled into the room as if she had been tossed out of the tunnel. She was dressed in a similar uniform but held a pair of pistols and swept the barrels across the cave, looking for a target to kill. Fear and fury twisted the scars on her face. Lumbering out of the darkness, behind the human shield of his last slave, came a third, wild-looking man.

Logan knew, at a glance, that he was the real threat and immediately revised his estimation of what “wealthy” looked like here in Hell.

He wore a black jacket and pants embroidered with a fine silver border, and knee-high, black leather boots. A pistol was slung low on one hip like an old west gunfighter. A sheathed fencing sword dangled from the other hip. In his hands, pointing out over the woman’s head was a handcrafted, bolt action rifle.

“Come out, little whore.” The man’s voice was the coarse scratch of rocks rubbing together. The business end of the rifle slowly panned across the shadow and stone of the cavern. “The time for silly games is over.”

“Not quite over,” Logan whispered. “Always remember to look up, asshole.”

He tugged a carefully placed square knot loose. Rope slithered away as the weight of his final secret weapon hurtled down from above. The madman’s eyes noticed movement and finally looked up.

The sack of flour struck the stony floor and exploded into a cloud of choking, white powder that rolled over both man and woman. Two voices coughed and cursed in anger.

“Now!” Logan shouted

Logan was up in an instant, their crude hunting spear in his hand. A hard throw sent it hurtling into the billowing cloud toward the smaller silhouette. A woman screamed and something metal clattered to the rocky floor.

From the other side of the cavern, Beauty threw their only other spear. It flew true. The female hunter tumbled to the ground. To the best of her limited ability, Karen whipped rocks out of a sling made from bandage and rope.

The hunter bellowed laughter, still coughing and waving one hand in front of his face as he stepped out of the cloud of powder. “You think to stop me with sticks and stones?”

“No, I don’t.”

Logan crashed into the man like a linebacker, shoulder first, and at full charge. The rifle tumbled away to strike a rock and fire off into the shadows. They hurtled to the ground in a tangle of limbs and fought as hard men will, with savage strength and merciless intent. Both drew knives. Fists hammered. Blades cut. Red blood and pale mist spilled across the floor as they fought to kill and fought to live.

Logan felt lines of fire tear across his ribs but the “fight or flight” rush of adrenaline kept the agony at bay. Long enough to get his knife hand free. He roared, spraying blood from his mouth and stabbed, and stabbed, and stabbed.

The hunter bellowed in pain, slapping a hand against the life force boiling out of his neck. The other hand clenched around Logan’s wrist and twisted until the knife clattered from his grasp. A backhanded blow snapped Logan’s head to the side, stunning him for less than a heartbeat.

Long enough for Denke to draw the pistol from his holster.

They fought for control of the gun. The madman pursed his lips in a loud, piercing whistle. Something monstrous roared in answer from outside the cavern. A slow, savage grin spread across the man’s face as they both heard the Hell Hound rapidly approaching through the tunnel. The barrel of the gun slowly inched down toward Logan’s face.

His last thoughts were of her. I’m sorry, Beauty. I am so sorry!

“First, I will take your life.” Spit dripped from between Denke’s broken teeth to splatter on Logan’s face. “Then I will take your human woman as payment for your arrogance. The demon I will cook and eat for my dinner.” The madman pulled the hammer back to fire.

Just as two hundred pounds of Hell Hound lunged out the darkness. Long, yellow teeth clamped down on Denke’s neck and shoulder. The gun fired into the air sending a bullet to ricochet off stone walls. The hound snarled and shook the man like a rag doll. Bone snapped as the hunter screamed in pain and terror. Denke twitched and then was still as his life force bled out in a billowing cloud of mist.

The beast rose to its feet. Karl Denke, the madman once known as the Prussian Butcher, did not. Molten red eyes looked at Logan where he lay gasping and bleeding into the dirt. Logan braced himself to fight the beast with his last breath.

Logan was stunned to realize that he heard the words in his head, not in his ears.

“Logan!” Beauty called to him.

He looked over. Karen’s hands were folded over her belly. A steady stream of ghostly mist poured out from between her fingers. Her beautiful dark eyes were wide and frightened.

“Logan?” she whimpered.

He watched her crumple to the ground.