Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 113: Dinner Date #2
Pittman kept looking back at them now that he could see them closing in.
He veered off the road and started to ride hard through the dry yellow fields. Vegetation was very sparse around here, so there was almost no cover to be had for a man on horseback.
He suddenly turned and got an arrow away.
"Miro!" shouted Delphi.
The lizard stood up on two legs and the arrow bounced harmlessly off his thick upper chest.
Both Delphi and Alton had drawn their crossbows now, and they rode hard as they aimed at Pittman’s back.
The two arrows flew at the same time, and both hit Pittman square in the back, catapulting him off his horse, which kept on running without him.
"You wait here," said Alton motioning at Delphi not to go any further. "I’ll go and check on the body."
That was a task Delphi was not going to argue with him to join. She hung back until Alton returned, nodding that the man was indeed, dead.
"It’s done. We’ve done the world a good deed ridding it of that man, if he can even be called a man. He was pure evil. The things he’s done would make your hair stand on end."
Delphi nodded. Though Alton was undoubtedly right, she had still killed a man, and that made two for today. It was hitting her harder than she expected.
"Hey," he said gently, "it’s only natural to feel bad the first time you kill someone in battle. A life is still a life, and no amount of training prepares you for it. It’s when it doesn’t affect you that you should be concerned."
Delphi nodded, her eyes unexpectedly brimming with tears at his kind words.
"There’s no way you’re wasting a tear on that bastard!" he growled. "Come on. Let’s find a place to hole up for the night. We’re losing the light too fast to get back to the silo before dark."
Alton found them a pretty little light green farmhouse, just off the highway. There was not a chance that the dragons or Blue were even getting through the small front door, so they left them outside in the fenced yard.
"Go get us some dinner when you get your own," said Alton to Maback. "See if you can find something tasty like a pig."
Maback was more than happy with this task, and he ambled off.
"There’s an old orchard behind the house," said Delphi. "I’ll see if there’s anything ripe."
She came back with an armful of different stone fruit; plums, peaches and apricots.
She gave them a wash using the water from the old rainwater tank and brought them inside, finding cutlery and plates. She laid out a fruit platter on the ancient iron table for two on the front veranda, and she and Alton sat down to eat.
Blue and Miro lazed about in the front yard.
"Well this is very pleasant, isn’t it?" said Alton, pleased with himself for suggesting they stay out overnight.
Truth be told, they probably could have made it back to Horsham, but he knew Niko had everything under control and he wanted a night with Delphi all to himself, especially now that ’Brenda’ had joined them... he narrowed his eyes at the ugly thought of that guy...
"Yes," said Delphi. "I feel like we’re a little old couple on our veranda and that’s our cat and our dog."
"The dog’s pretty close, just over-sized, but the cat’s a stretch of the imagination. I can only see an ugly giant poisonous lizard... And we’re both young; but I’m happy to grow old with you, if that’s what you’re suggesting," he teased.
"Don’t start, Alton."
"What?" he said innocently.
If she thought that was starting, she was miles off. He hadn’t even begun with pestering her yet... The night was young!
Maback arrived back in the yard and unceremoniously dropped a bloodied wild pig on the veranda, then walked off to share his other kill with Miro and Blue.
The sounds of wild animals tearing at a carcass rang out across the still dusk.
"Well, that just destroyed your Little House on the Prairie imaginings beyond redemption," laughed Alton. "Unless that reminds you of the cat bringing you a rat?"
Delphi pouted. "You can’t even let me have a little moment of make believe?"
"Hold on a minute. That’s a first. Yes! I love to play pretend. Wait right here for me. Just settle down and relax for a while and let me look after you."
Delphi laughed and nodded at him, "sure, you go play house if you want to".
Alton hauled the pig into the old kitchen.
Delphi watched the beautiful sunset and listened to the pleasant sounds of Alton fussing around; chopping wood, starting a fire, cooking.
She gradually drifted off to sleep as the night got deeper and the gentle sounds of crickets and cicadas rang out.
She felt very safe. Miro, Maback and Blue were the apex predators, so nothing would get past the three of them. Alton was something of an apex predator himself, so having him inside the house she felt very safe and protected both inside and out. The simple pleasures lulled her off to sleep after a long and bloody day.
She woke to Alton kissing her gently on the forehead.
"Time for dinner sleepyhead. Go wash up first and I’ll bring it out."
Delphi rubbed her eyes and stumbled off to the water tank. She felt grimy and horrible, so she stripped off her clothes and gave herself a thorough wash.
What’s that girl doing? thought Alton. How long does it take her to wash her hands!
He rounded the corner to find her stark naked, pouring water down her breasts like a Greek goddess.
He stood and stared openly at her, his romantic dinner date mood now completely destroyed and replaced with burning desire.
He figured if she didn’t want him to look, she would have asked him not to.
The girl still completely failed to understand the effect her body had on the opposite sex.
She seemed to have placed him in the safe zone, along with all those girls she grew up with. She’d gradually learn that he was the opposite of safe.
He wouldn’t mind so much if she was like this only with him, but he had a niggling feeling that she would quickly extend this ’safe zone’ to other men she trusted, and he absolutely would not agree to that.
"Delphi," he called.
"Mm?" she said absently.
"What have I told you before about flaunting your naked body around me?"
