A Demon's Work Is Never Done: Latter Day Demons, Book 2 Page 16

  "No idea. Maybe never—Zaria is pretty powerful."

  "I understand that. Those we met in the desert—they believe us dead. Does that continue to give us an advantage?"

  "I hope so. I hope they think Kory's dead again, too; I had help scrambling the cameras inside the arena. I figure there are a bunch of people worldwide who are demanding their money back because they paid to see the fight on their televisions."

  "High Demons and Ra'Ak," Kell mused before turning back to his sandwich.

  "Yes. Exactly my thought. If there are more High Demons involved in this operation, then it makes sense that they really, really want Kory dead. Since Lexsi is female, they really aren't worried about her. In their experience, female High Demons don't turn. She can be a bargaining chip to get to Kory, but to them, he's their biggest threat. High Demons were created to keep the Ra'Ak and the other dark races in line. Their obsession to kill Kory isn't just because he can nullify spells, as I originally thought."

  "Treachery from within is always the worst kind," Kell said. "This Dervil San Gerxon and Morgett Blackmantle have a far-reaching grasp if they can pit High Demon against High Demon."

  "That grasp goes farther if they can pull in Ra'Ak. You know what that means, don't you? The Ra'Ak are already slavering over the population of Earth. If the people are devoured, it leaves the entire planet free to grow drakus seed."

  "Yes, they are always hungry, these serpents." Kell rose from his seat and walked a few steps to the nearest wastebasket, where he dropped his empty cup and sandwich wrapper. "Planets become feeding grounds, unless someone stops them."

  "There are few who can stop them," I said, my voice soft. "The one who planned this has thought of every angle."

  * * *

  Lexsi

  "I found chicken noodle soup. In the chaos that covers the city, that wasn't an easy thing to do," Anita said.

  She was right—I needed something in my stomach, but the thought of it made me want to puke again.

  "Just a few bites?" She waved the bowl beneath my nose. At least it smelled better than fresh blood and bits of brain.

  Gran was a vampire. Maybe she was better suited to those smells than I was. I closed my eyes and hugged myself as Anita produced a spoon. "Eat a little bit. That's all. Dry heaves can't be any fun."

  "Chunky heaves aren't fun either," I muttered.

  "If you'll eat a few bites, I'll tell you how Kory is doing." Yes, she was dangling that particular carrot in front of me.

  After closing my eyes and mentally preparing myself for food that would probably make a second and not so pretty appearance quickly, I held out my hand for the spoon. Anita waited until I'd swallowed three bites of chicken noodle soup before telling me that Kory was fine; Zaria had healed him before she fell unconscious.

  "She all right?" I studied the soup, wondering if it were safe to put another spoonful in my mouth.

  "Opal says yes, she's just tired. Had a busy day, or so I hear. Eat another two bites and I'll tell you about Hannah."

  "What about Hannah?" She had my immediate attention.

  "Well, the way I hear it, Zaria managed to disguise Hannah as Granger. The last time anybody saw her, she was running through the desert, screaming loud enough to wake the cactus."

  I had to lay my head on the table after a while, I was laughing so hard.

  Chapter 11

  Opal

  "What the hell?" Davis handed his tablet to Thomas, who went still while reading it, then handed it to me.

  I hadn't prepared myself for this.

  The nut jobs in Peru were selling off ancient treasures to the highest bidders. That included blocks of stone from Machu Picchu. By the time I read that part, I was so furious I could have killed the ones responsible bare-handed. All of it was listed on the black-market portion of the deep web, and the buyers who frequented those sites had money coming out of their ass, ill-gotten or otherwise.

  "Gold only," Davis tapped the screen after I'd tossed the tablet onto the kitchen island.

  We were back at the house in San Rafael. The others were sleeping; I'd stayed awake for a conference call with Colonel Hunter. Once the Vampire Council arrived in Vegas to pick up Granger, there wasn't any need for us to stay.

  Everything we needed to do could be done from San Rafael. At least I knew the house was protected against anything the enemy might throw at us. I thought it best to get the others away; Las Vegas was in mourning, as was the entire country. No state was spared in the deaths that occurred in the arena.

  Many foreign countries also mourned losses of citizens; the fight had sold out worldwide in less than five minutes, once the tickets were made available months earlier. At least three small countries lost royalty in the drugging. The fire hadn't killed them; the drug did.

  At least there were no working cameras during the fight between Kory and—ultimately—three High Demons. Lyle Landon was found later, sleeping off a hangover in his suite while Tibby released a statement to the press, saying his team managed to get him away the moment the arena caught fire.

  That left plenty of fodder for the press, sports related and otherwise, many of whom went so far as to blame Lyle for a conspiracy to burn down the arena.

  I figured they weren't far from the truth, although it was Charlene Devangi they should be blaming and not Lyle. Nobody had heard from Charlene, and Hannah hadn't shown up on anybody's radar, yet. I imagined that the Ra'Ak, who had the ability to fold space, managed to get both to Peru.

  Hannah probably didn't know much about the operations in Peru, but I doubted Charlene would be satisfied with lounging by the pool and handpicking her bed partner for the night. She was too much of a control freak to allow that to happen.

  My guess was if she didn't know it already, she was working on the ones who did know the information she wanted. More than anything, I wanted to capture her and let Kell ask questions.

  * * *

  Peru

  Laurel Rome

  "It's Hannah." Deris was angry. He'd already set fire to the plants and trees surrounding the flagstone patio. While it appeared that Granger stood before us, it wasn't Granger. The real Granger would have burned to a crisp in full daylight.

  This wasn't Granger, although whomever it was kept insisting that he was Hannah.

  "How the fuck did you do that?" I demanded of Hannah/Granger. "Where's Granger, then?"

  "I did nothing," Hannah/Granger wailed. "They did this to me."

  "Who?" Deris demanded. "This is the work of a talented warlock. They have no warlocks."

  "I don't know who did it." Now they-he-she was crying. It wasn't appropriate, watching a grown vampire cry like that. The real Granger wouldn't have.

  "Then tell us what happened." Daris stood nearby, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, probably to cover up the fact that she had small breasts.

  "I was with Charlene—ask her," Hannah/Granger sobbed. "And suddenly, I was in the desert with those—those thugs of yours. They thought I was Granger. How could they think that?"

  "This is getting nowhere fast," Daris grumbled. "Deris, can you reverse the spell?"

  "Not until I know more about it," he hedged.

  He didn't know? He told me he was one of the most powerful warlocks of his race. "What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped. "I want Granger back here. Like ten minutes ago."

  "We have to search for Granger, so you'll have to calm down," Deris turned toward me, his eyes narrowing. I didn't like his attitude and considered telling him so.

  I didn't want to end up like Hannah, though.

  "Let me know when you find Granger," I said and stalked toward the house. I didn't give a fuck about Hannah, or the fact that she now had a dick. Granger was an ally and I wanted him back.

  * * *

  Kordevik

  Onion? She lay beside me, sound asleep. I'd found her there when I opened my eyes for the first time in who knew how long.

  "Hmmm?" she stirred at my mental nudging.

&
nbsp; "Baby, I'm going to touch you," I whispered before reaching out a hand and smoothing hair away from her face.

  "Kory?" She huddled into a smaller ball.

  "Come on," I ran a hand down her shoulder. "Wake up and talk to me."

  "Noo." With eyes still shut, she moved to turn over.

  "Come on." I scooted closer and pulled her against me.

  "Cold."

  "I can fix that."

  "Mmmm. Love it." I'd turned up my heat just a little, so she'd be warmer.

  "Love you," I whispered against her hair.

  Lexsi was right—we needed to set a date and do this—the bite. I had a rock-hard erection and no relief in sight unless I left her shivering in my bed while I dealt with the problem myself.

  At that moment, I wanted to shout at all gods responsible for the fucking bite in the first place. I didn't care if it was easier on the female now. It was still a load of falaca dung and I wanted to say so. I could be fried to a crisp for it, but it still needed to be said.

  "Kory?"

  "What baby?"

  "I'm hungry."

  * * *

  Lexsi

  Anita and Watson sat at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and deliberately not speaking to each other.

  Strained relations? Kory asked as he steered me toward the coffee pot.

  Looks that way. Will you help me make breakfast?

  If it involves bacon, I'd even go to the store for you, he grinned.

  I think we have bacon, but let me check. We may have to feed an army, I said. Kory lifted down two coffee cups from the cabinet while I brewed more coffee.

  We'll need bacon, eggs and milk, I determined after studying the nearly-empty fridge for a moment.

  While Kory and I held our silent conversation, no words were exchanged between Watson and Anita. In fact, the silence was distressing. Anita watched Kory and me weave past one another as we made coffee and mental grocery lists.

  Watson frowned as he drank from his cup. I had no idea what the fight was about, but I wasn't looking forward to a protracted silence between those two.

  "Here." Kory took Watson's nearly-empty cup from his hand so fast the werewolf didn't have time to blink, and thumped a fresh cup onto the island.

  Watson jumped when Kory did that.

  "What the fuck, man?" Watson snapped.

  "I was about to ask you the same fucking question, man," Kory snarled at Watson. "You have a woman sitting beside you who wants your sorry ass, although for the life of me I can't figure out why. She could do a hundred times better than this." Kory flung out a hand.

  I watched as Anita sat straighter in her chair, her interest piqued in this verbal exchange between Kory and Watson.

  "I'll uh, skip to the store," I said, although I wanted to see how this turned out.

  "I'll come with you," Anita slipped off her barstool. "I don't want to watch when Kory rips out werewolf fur."

  "What?" Watson's attention turned to Anita, who wore a smug smile.

  "I wouldn't care if Kory stomped you so far into the tile you wore the pattern when he peeled you off it," Anita snapped. "I'm going to the store with Lexsi. Go ahead, make your case with a High Demon," she gestured toward Kory. "I think he's frustrated enough to smack you senseless."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Watson huffed, rising from his barstool. Kory was blowing smoke, so it was probably just as well to put distance between them.

  "Come on," Anita grabbed my arm as I blinked at Kory and Watson. "Let's go."

  Without waiting for me to agree, she folded space to the supermarket.

  * * *

  Kordevik

  "What the fuck is with you, man?" Watson backed away from me. My Thifilathi was so close, the heat of it would have melted the paint off the kitchen wall if I'd touched it.

  "You," I pointed a finger at him, "Get to have sex any fucking time you want, with someone who loves you more than your sorry ass deserves," I growled. "I can't. Not unless I follow a stupid, archaic ritual and put my fangs in Lexsi's neck, first. She's terrified of that and I can't blame her. Now is the picture clearing up for you?"

  "Not with all this smoke, it's not," Watson fanned the smoke I'd blown in his direction. "Damn, dude, you could have told me this before instead of wading into the middle of one of our fights."

  "It's time you figured out what's important," I said. "If you can't tell her how you feel, or if you don't feel the same, at least back off and let someone else win her affections. This hot and cold business is bullshit."

  "What?"

  "Just what I said. If you don't care about her, other than having an easy lay because she loves you so much, then do the right thing and let her go."

  "But," Watson began.

  "But what?" I said.

  "She's not werewolf," he hung his head. "I'm the last male of my line. I need," he stopped. I hoped it was because he realized how stupid that sounded.

  "Your sister can continue the line," I pointed out. At least I'd stopped breathing smoke, and it had almost cleared out of the kitchen.

  "But not with a vampire," he shouted.

  "You are such a backward, backwoods, back-ended nitwit," I grumbled. "Find a werewolf who wouldn't mind providing sperm. I think Mason would make a top-notch dad."

  "What?" Watson blinked at me for several seconds while the idea churned in his brain. "Who?" he demanded.

  "I think Davis or Thomas would be excellent choices. We met another werewolf in D.C. who'd be a good choice, too. His name's Jorden Billings."

  "Huh?"

  "You heard me."

  "No," he held up a hand. "You met Jorden?"

  "He works for Opal."

  "Damn. I haven't seen him since he moved back East. Had no idea what he was doing."

  "You've had your head up your ass for a while, I take it?"

  "Yeah. I guess so."

  "Besides, there's no guarantee that you and Anita won't," I began.

  "A werewolf who grows scales?"

  At that comment, I was ready to throw him onto the floor and show him what somebody with scales could do to his furry ass.

  "Wait, that was stupid," he amended. "She's as badass as they come. Can you imagine what a werewolf mixed with her race might do?"

  "Plenty," I said. "So if it happens, be sure to raise him or her right, although I think Anita would have that covered anyway."

  "Yeah. It's a cinch he wouldn't be bullied at school."

  "Just make sure he isn't the bully."

  "We'll make sure of that."

  "Well, all right, then. What the hell was this fight about, anyway?"

  "Moving in together," Watson mumbled.

  "You didn't want to?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

  "No, I asked her to, but I think she wanted something more."

  "I think she's waiting to hear that you love her, you stupid prick. I figure she's worried that she's only a temporary thing in your life, until you establish yourself as the big, bad Packmaster and have werewolf women flung at your feet."

  "That's not all," Watson sighed and turned his back to me.

  "What, then?"

  "She's, well, she's bigger and badder than I am."

  "You're worried you won't be king in the castle?"

  "Something like that."

  "You are the biggest fucking difik I've ever met," I fumed.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" He turned back to me, then.

  "Difik means idiot. Make that slow idiot. A difik is somebody you have to hit with the brick wall, to show them what brick wall really means."

  "You don't know how I feel, man." He turned away again.

  "I don't know how you feel? Damn, you're worse than I thought. Lexsi is related to royalty on two sides, man. You think I have that in my background? Do you? She has talents I can't begin to duplicate. You don't see me whining, do you? She saved my ass twice. I'm not about to quibble over who's more of a badass. I think Lexsi and I work well together. That's that. I hav
e no idea what's going on in that fucked up male brain of yours, but you need to allow somebody else to be strong. Strong enough to stand beside you when things turn to shit."

  "Are you two arguing?" Kell walked in and headed for the coffeepot.

  "I figure you could hear us from a mile away," I raked fingers through my hair.

  "I heard you from my bedroom. If I disagreed with anything you said, I'd have shown up sooner." Kell's grin was slow and welcome.

  "What the hell is going on?" Opal was three seconds behind Kell and still in her robe and pajamas. I blinked.

  Well, it was bound to happen sometime. Opal looked happy, I knew that much.

  "Kordevik is dispensing wisdom, dearest," Kell leaned in to kiss Opal. "Want coffee?"

  "I'd love some." Opal took a seat at the island while Kell poured two cups.

  "We're back. Is the fight over? Please say the fight's over," Lexsi announced as she and Anita appeared in the kitchen.

  "Ah. Just in time. Shall I help you with the meal?" Kell asked. "I haven't cooked in a very, very long time."

  "Thank the gods," Anita sighed and planted two bags of groceries on the island. Watson gave me the finger and went to help put food away.

  Opal grinned at me behind Watson's back, and that made me laugh.

  * * *

  Lexsi

  Opal, Anita and I had a private meeting after breakfast, while Kory, Kell and Watson went to the gym.

  "I got mindspeech from Esme," Anita said, spreading her fingers across the cool granite of the kitchen island. Kory made Watson clean after the rest of us cooked breakfast, so there wasn't so much as a smudge on it anywhere. It was only fair that he do his part.

  "What did Esme say?" Opal didn't sound surprised at all. More and more, I suspected that Opal had a place in the hierarchy of gods, I merely didn't know what her placement was. Being of that caste held certain drawbacks—at times their hands were tied because of noninterference rules.

  "Just in time," Opal lifted her head as Zaria and Klancy walked into the kitchen. I blinked. The sun was shining, yet there Klancy stood, as if he were used to being awake during the day.

  "It is a gift," Klancy smiled at me. "I do not question the miracle of it, only my deserving of it."

  "Have a seat," Anita patted the chair next to hers. "I heard from Esme."