A Demon's Work Is Never Done: Latter Day Demons, Book 2 (24 page)

We were unloading our carts into the SUV by that time, and Kory quickly informed the others about the plans. I could see Anita and Esme wanted in on it, too, while Watson was doing his best not to growl as he shoved bags into the back of our vehicle.

He wanted a piece of those people, but they weren't the ones causing problems. "Baby, they're all obsessed," Anita informed Watson softly as she leaned next to him to hand him the last bag. "They're not the enemy. The ones controlling them are."

We climbed into the vehicle then, allowing Watson to take the wheel and drive us away. When we'd gone about a quarter mile, I told the others that Kory and I were going and turned both of us to mist.

* * *

Opal

That girl is better than she imagines herself to be
, I sent to Zaria the moment the large bus veered off the road and into a power pole. The power pole fell with a crash and a billow of sparks, ensuring that the surrounding neighborhood was now without electricity.

Just as I'd wanted, people began pouring out of their houses to see what the trouble was. That's when Phineas' merpeople arrived, pouring in from between houses as if they belonged there. Phineas himself started the argument with the bus driver—the downed pole meant the neighborhood was without power until someone arrived to repair it. In this area, it could take days.

Showtime
, Zaria sent, heading straight for the obsessed woman who stood farthest away from the bus.

In moments, a replica of the woman stood beside our target, while Zaria employed her talent to whisk the real one—and us—back to the house.

Kory, Lexsi and the others waited there for us, while the hapless woman, who was so obsessed she didn't know how to react, merely blinked at her change of venue.

"Lexsi," Zaria said immediately, "Turn her to mist for thirty seconds and then release her. I want to prove our theory by reproducing the results of the last experiment."

I understood what Zaria meant. Lexsi had inadvertently released one victim from an obsession after he'd taken a known criminal's place in prison, by turning him to mist. If Zaria's suggestion bore fruit, then Lexsi could become the enemy's worst nightmare.

If they found out about her
.

* * *

Lexsi

"Somebody time it," I said. The woman, completely oblivious, stood waiting for someone to tell her what to do.

The same person who'd placed the obsession, I imagined. "Go, baby," Kory jerked his head at me. He would count off seconds in his head. Probably another trick learned in the military on Kifirin.

I didn't waste time, going to mist quickly and gathering the unsuspecting woman up to hold her inside my mist. All of her particles, for a brief period, anyway, would be enveloped by mine.

"Time," Kory announced after what felt like an eternity instead of half a minute. I released the woman and became corporeal beside her. Nobody had to ask if the experiment had worked. The woman screamed in terror, then began to weep.

* * *

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 after 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.