A Demon's Work Is Never Done: Latter Day Demons, Book 2 Page 20

  * * *

  Kordevik

  "What about the substitute?" I asked, once the screaming woman had been calmed and placed (by Zaria) in a healing sleep.

  "Disappeared, once she was on her seat at the back of the bus," Zaria shrugged. "Women disappear in this country frequently—there's a thriving sex slave trade, or didn't you know that?"

  "So her captors will think she was kidnapped?"

  "I certainly hope so. We don't need them searching this city, looking for us," Zaria sounded weary, now. "At least we know Lexsi's misting talent, combined with her High Demon nature, can nullify an obsession. That will come as welcome news to many. I warn you, however, that the information cannot leave this group. For obvious reasons."

  "She's in enough danger as it is," I agreed.

  "You both are." Zaria hugged herself and stared out the library window.

  "Dearest, do not upset yourself." I jumped when a very tall Larentii appeared beside Zaria.

  Zaria had a Larentii mate. That in itself was a rarity. I was beginning to think Zaria was quite rare, indeed. As rare as my Lexsi was, if not more so.

  "I can duplicate the wristband, but there are codes inside it," Zaria shivered before the Larentii had time to speak. "They'll probably deactivate the code inside the one we have the moment they learn the woman is missing."

  "It is my guess that these wristbands keep the N'il Mo'erti from firing at the wearer if they happen to cross the border," the Larentii Pulled the wristband into his hand to examine it.

  This Larentii was unlike most I'd seen. He was ten feet tall, blue-skinned as they all were, but had red, shoulder-length hair, whereas most had some shade of blond hair, cut short.

  "Kory, this is Kalenegar, Head of the Larentii Council," Zaria introduced us while Kalenegar continued to examine the wristband.

  "I've heard of you," I said.

  "And I have heard of you," He lifted his head and nodded at me. "Nefrigar thinks very highly of you. And of Lexsi, of course. You may not know this, but Nefrigar, our Chief Archivist, is mated to Lexsi's mother."

  "I'm sorry, I have trouble keeping track of Reah's mates," I hung my head.

  "Understandable—there are many," Kalenegar smiled. "You would be most familiar with Torevik, as he is High Demon like yourself, and Lexsi's biological father."

  "I've met him—and her mother. He's the one who gave me photographs," I admitted. "He said she was beautiful. I wanted to see for myself, so I was given photographs when she was eighteen and twenty."

  "What did you think?" Zaria asked. "When you saw photographs, knowing she knew nothing about you?"

  "I feel guilty about it now, but I won't ever forget the rush that went through me when I saw her image the first time. It's as if I'd never seen a woman before."

  "That's how M'Fiyahs work," Kalenegar smiled. "If Lexsi had seen you before, she may have shown up for her wedding."

  "I want to marry her. I think she wants to marry me. She's terrified of the claiming."

  "Ah. The barbaric High Demon tradition of marking one's mate," Kalenegar agreed. "Did you know it was originally intended to ensure that the female only reproduced with the one placing the claiming marks? In recent history, that has proven untrue—with two others. I suspect it is only because of those two females' heritage and the innate power they possess."

  "Lexsi's mother being one of those. I know Lexsi has six full sisters and two half-brothers."

  "Lexsi's grandmother, Queen Lissa, is the other one," Zaria pointed out.

  "Which doesn't sound good for me, does it?" Smoke clouded my vision for a moment. I'd forgotten my manners in my concern that Lexsi could find other mates besides me.

  "I think Lexsi may surprise you in how traditional she can be," Zaria smiled. "Once you get past the claiming, that is."

  "Yeah. There's the problem," I grimaced. "I don't want to hurt her or scare her, and she's afraid of both those things."

  "Then you will make a good mate," Kalenegar's smile widened. "Now, may my mate and I have some privacy? I wish to—as those from Earth might say—catch up?"

  "Sure." I rose from my seat and walked out of the room. I think the Larentii had a shield up before the door latched shut.

  * * *

  Zaria

  "Are you planning to tell them that the drug may not be the sole reason that a powerful witch and warlock are interested in Earth?" Kal's eyebrows were as red as his hair. The left eyebrow rose after he posed his question.

  "It's Deris and Daris' excuse for being here—and working for that wealthy, evil bastard they found. I suspect that a long-lost relative of theirs may be the impetus for choosing Earth as the planting fields so Dervil San Gerxon can ply his drug trade. When Dervil promised his Earth investors that he wouldn't sell that filth here—that was just a lie to convince them the planet would remain intact and much as it is. I believe V'ili knows about Deris and Daris' true intentions, but Dervil doesn't. How's that for a conundrum?"

  "The drug is bad enough on its own," Kal raked fingers through his hair. "What is reportedly hidden here was never meant to be found. It could prove most dangerous if these acquire it."

  "Then we need to make sure it stays hidden, is removed, or, as a last resort, is destroyed," I said.

  "That, beloved, could prove more difficult than you know."

  * * *

  Lexsi

  Opal brought Mason, Sandra, Davis and Thomas in shortly after nightfall. Kory and Watson were helping Anita, Esme and me in the kitchen, although they were eating and tasting as we went along.

  I guess I hadn't thought about Sandra being with them, but it made sense once I thought about it. Neither she nor Mason were willing to let the other out of their sight.

  "Dinner's almost ready," I informed the three werewolves while slapping Watson's hand—he was lifting another shrimp from the appetizer tray.

  "Thank you," Sandra smiled. "We're starved. Mason's had dinner," she added.

  "Yeah, okay," I said. "Have a seat. I'll find something for you to drink."

  "Have any bourbon?" Opal took a seat beside Sandra. Kell sat next to her and blinked expectantly—he wanted a stiff drink, too.

  "I have some," I said, turning toward the liquor cabinet.

  "After Phineas dropped his argument with the bus driver this afternoon, we found out the bus drove south before it disappeared. Either somebody met them at that point who could transport them, or there was already a spell in place that would take the bus back to its origin." Opal's expression was grim, with a touch of frustration.

  Kell rubbed her back while I poured two generous portions of bourbon in glasses and added ice and club soda.

  "Thank you," Kell spoke for both when I set glasses in front of them. Something was definitely bothering Opal; that was easy to see. She wasn't saying what it was, though.

  "Phineas didn't wish to drop his argument, even with my Opal telling him that the one he shouted at had no control over his actions."

  "Trust him to take things to extremes," Opal mumbled and lifted her drink. She emptied half the glass before setting it down again.

  "He's used to being in charge and getting his way," I said. "It's something I studied at school on Wyyld—the psychology of power," I said, pushing a plate of broiled shrimp appetizers toward Opal and Kell.

  "Too bad Phineas has let it go to his head," Kell observed, his voice dry.

  "His head?" Opal huffed and emptied her glass. "It's all over him, head to ass. Probably his thighs and fins, too."

  "Vampires," Zaria shouted, while appearing in the kitchen. My skin itched so badly it was on fire seconds later. Dinner was forgotten as someone—either Opal or Zaria, folded all of us to the neighborhood with the downed power pole. That section of Punta Blanca burned, vampires killed innocent residents and others ran away screaming.

  The enemy in Peru was expressing his displeasure at the accosting of his slaves, and the subsequent kidnapping of one of them.

  Those he'd sent vampires a
fter had nothing to do with either of those things.

  Baby, turn with me, Kory said and became his smaller Thifilathi. I followed his lead, my slightly smaller, silver-scaled Thifilatha wading into the fray behind his black-scaled one.

  Opal and the werewolves turned while Kell, Klancy and Mason attacked the first vampires they found, claws out and deadly as they fought. When Mason punched one, sending him flying, Kory plucked the unlucky vampire from the air and burned him with half a thought.

  I ran toward a small knot of other vampires, who were herding a family into a tight circle. They wanted these alive, children too, I think.

  I misted toward them in a blink and had two vampires decapitated by squeezing their necks until the heads popped off.

  Yes, it turned my stomach, but I wanted their friends to know I wasn't fooling around and intended to kill them, too. Sure, somebody may have intended to use their witch or warlock's power to abduct people, but those spells were useless wherever I was.

  The three remaining vampires turned their attention to me, then, while the family ran toward the street. The noise of fire, other battles and screaming people was all around me as the vampires studied me. Yes, they were likely intending to attack me at once in an effort to bring me down.

  After all, I wasn't on fire like Kory was.

  Maybe I ought to be. I just wasn't sure how. The last time I'd been on fire, I'd pulled the fire—wait.

  Houses were on fire all around me.

  Sure, I made myself a target when I became my larger self and stood straight, held out my arms and closed my eyes. I felt vampire claws digging into my scales as they climbed my body.

  It didn't last long.

  The moment I pulled every bit of fire from all the burning houses, leaving them dark and smoldering about me, three vampires had already turned to ash. That night, I became the High Demon version of a bug zapper that could skip from one battle to another. Any enemy vamp that still lived was fried against the heat and fire clinging to and permeating my Thifilatha.

  I roared a challenge when the enemy vamps were all gone; somewhere, a country away, I hoped the enemy was listening.

  Chapter 14

  Kordevik

  It took some time to get Lexsi back to normal. Zaria and Opal finally suggested that I take her to a high peak so she could discharge the fire she'd gathered. It hadn't taken much of it to destroy vampires, who were on the heat sensitive side of things anyway.

  I wasn't damaged when she released her fire atop the mountain I'd skipped her to, but anybody else might have been.

  Unless they were extremely powerful.

  Once the fire and energy left her, she became humanoid and dropped at my feet, naked and only half-conscious. I lifted her in my arms and cradled her against me; once the fire was gone, she shivered in the high mountain air.

  Warming her with my heat, I skipped her to the house in Punta Blanca. Zaria and the others were picking at dinner, waiting for me to arrive with Lexsi.

  "The enemy knows where we are," Opal frowned. "We have to move or they'll be back to kill more locals."

  "How many died?" Lexsi turned in my arms to look at Opal.

  "At least eighty people," Opal didn't sound happy. "Most of those before we got there to help."

  "Dude, you gonna walk around naked all night?" Watson asked.

  "Kory," Lexsi made herself smaller in my embrace.

  "We'll get dressed, then we'll eat, and you'll tell us where we can go from here," I blew a cloud of smoke in Watson's direction. He was only dressed in jeans and didn't normally give a damn about nudity.

  I skipped Lexsi into her bedroom, so I could get her covered first. She was cold.

  * * *

  Lexsi

  I dressed in a long-sleeved T and a sweater; I was chilled completely after coming back to myself on top of a peak in the Andes. Kory was still warm enough—he'd banked his fire. I'd forced all of mine away from me.

  "That's some talent you have, onion," Kory said as he shrugged into a T and jeans. "I'm concerned that the enemy will figure it out after tonight," he added.

  "Fuck them. They killed innocent people," I muttered. "If they want some of my fire, I'll be happy to give it to them."

  "That's not what I meant. You're now a target too, unless I miss my guess. Come on, baby. Let's eat and listen to what Opal and Zaria have to say about relocating."

  "We need to punch Phineas in the mouth," I said as I trailed Kory. He strode determinedly toward the kitchen. I hoped Watson left some shrimp for us; I was starved.

  * * *

  "Opal got a phone call," Anita whispered as I took a seat next to Kory at the dining table. "She and Zaria are in Opal's suite, talking to somebody."

  "Somebody knows already?" I asked as Farin set plates of food in front of Kory and me. She was the only one left at the house while the rest of us had gone to battle vamps.

  "I don't think that's it," Anita grimaced. "I think this is something different and maybe just as bad."

  "That doesn't sound good," I dipped a shrimp in sauce and bit into it. "You think it's global, national or local?" I asked after chewing and swallowing.

  "No idea. Eat while you can. We may be traveling in a bit."

  "I believe the enemy suspected we were here," Kell said. "There's no need to send more than a hundred vampires to terrify a small portion of the village—four or five would have worked well enough against humans."

  "Eat and pack up, we have to go to D.C. tonight," Opal walked in. She looked gray in my estimation, and it wasn't because we'd fought off more than a hundred vampires earlier.

  "What happened?" Anita asked.

  Zaria appeared beside Opal. "New York was hit by terrorists tonight," she said. "Early estimates say that at least fifty thousand are dead across the city. I went to check for myself just now. It's worse than they think."

  * * *

  I never expected to meet the Secretary of Defense in person. Yes, I would have liked to interview him—if I were still a reporter and under much better circumstances.

  "We found one of the terrorists involved. He's in interrogation now," Secretary of Defense August Hunter said. Opal insisted that Kory, Anita, Zaria and I be allowed in the meeting she was holding with Colonel Hunter.

  "May I have one of mine watch the interrogation?" Opal asked.

  "Why?" Colonel Hunter's dark eyes settled on Opal.

  "Because she will know if he's telling the truth," Opal replied.

  "Are you sure?" I could tell he wanted to believe Opal. Very much.

  "I have others who may be able to command the truth," Opal added. "Provided he hasn't been obsessed already."

  "This troubles me—that obsession as you've explained to me can happen at all," Colonel Hunter observed. He was in his late fifties and short, dark hair was going gray at the temples.

  "This is tied to Peru—I'd bet my life on it," Opal said.

  "Unless we have solid proof, we can't take that to the President," Colonel Hunter smacked a fist on the polished wood meeting table where we sat.

  "We were attempting to get something when the village around us was attacked earlier," Opal said. "The plan still may work, but we'll have to set up a base elsewhere. They knew where we were when they sent their vampires in."

  "Where are they now—these vampires?"

  "Dead. We have some injuries, but no losses."

  "I wish I could say the same thing about New York," Colonel Hunter said. "The situation there is only going to get worse, as damage and lives lost is taken into account. The subway system is destroyed. City blocks are nothing but rubble, and they hit where populations were heaviest. I have difficulty understanding how the bombs were brought in without anyone knowing."

  "It's because those bombs were transported in only seconds before they exploded," Zaria spoke for the first time.

  "How? Do I know you? You look familiar," Colonel Hunter studied Zaria.

  "Maybe we knew each other in another life," Zaria sighed.
"The truth is this, Colonel Hunter. Our enemy in Peru has unusual assets. Some of those assets are power wielders from other worlds. Getting a bomb into a subway or a building is child's play to them. It's my assumption that the terrorists have paid for these services."

  "They're not allied?"

  "The ones in Peru are only interested in wealth, power and destruction. The terrorists will learn soon enough that their lives are no more important than anyone else's."

  "Won't the terrorists target them, then?"

  "You understand that nothing can get across the border into Peru?" Zaria pointed out. "Let the terrorists try. They'll die, like anyone else. What's in Peru is a cancer on the Earth. If we don't cut it out soon, the entire planet will be destroyed."

  "I'll get you a front row seat to the interrogation," he said. "I'd appreciate any information you can give me. My hands are tied until I can provide the link between these murderers and what's going on in Peru."

  "We'll do what we can," Opal rose from her seat.

  "Good. I'll have transportation here in five."

  * * *

  He's young, angry and disillusioned, Zaria sent the moment we saw Mahmoud through the one-way glass. No, it doesn't excuse his part in any of this, she held up a hand. When will people learn that what they do comes back to them? That they own their mistakes?

  My favorite is two wrongs never make anything right, Kory said. You don't kill your sister because your brother stole from you.

  They're big on displacement, Opal agreed. Let's listen.

  Not much was coming from eighteen-year-old Mahmoud, including where he lived or who his parents were.

  "We need names. Tell us who orchestrated this attack," the interrogator asked.

  "Sheik Al-Harub," Mahmoud replied.

  "Lie," I said.

  "Jeff, that's a lie," Colonel Hunter spoke into a microphone. Jeff had an earpiece in and could hear Colonel Hunter clearly.

  "That's a lie, try again," Jeff snapped at Mahmoud.

  The boy rattled off several other names. "All lies," I said.

  "Send me in, I don't think he's obsessed," Anita said.