A Demon's Work Is Never Done: Latter Day Demons, Book 2 (5 page)

I so wanted that mouth on mine.

I was terrified of what would happen immediately after.

At that moment, I cursed the one who'd made High Demons the way they were. Yes, I realized the original ritual had recently been altered for the better. My mother was ill for days after Daddy put his teeth in her neck. My older sisters, too—with their husbands. Someone changed it so the illness was a thing of the past, but the thought of my unconsciousness; lying helpless while Kory's Thifilathi—I shivered.

"Baby, you cold?" Kory's concern was immediate.

"No." I hunched my shoulders. How could I tell him that the ritual terrified me in ways I couldn't explain? How?

Stop thinking about it
, Kory's hand went to my back. His fingers gentle, he soothed away the tightness in my shoulders.

He knew
.

* * *

Kordevik

I did my best to calm Lexsi while making conversation with Opal and Kell. "Do we have a schedule for the other prisons?" I asked.

"I wanted to get two out of the way tomorrow," Opal said, pointedly ignoring Lexsi's sudden silence. "I knew the one in Denver was going to be the most difficult," she added.

"The riot continues," Kell said, shaking his head. "They should realize that this will change nothing in the end, except to add years onto many sentences. Those who have died," he frowned at the thought.

"You can't reason with a mob," Opal said.

"I agree," Kell dipped his head in acknowledgment.

"Ready to order?" A perky waitress appeared at our table. The pizza restaurant had a theme—that of a 1950s pizza diner. She wore a pink dress with a tiny, white square in a fake pocket, and a white apron, tied at the waist. Her shoes were fashioned after saddle oxfords popular in the era, with white, lace-trimmed socks.

I could see why the nostalgic dress was popular—I found it quite attractive. We ordered our food, although Lexsi looked as if she'd lost her appetite.

"Baby, you need to eat," I leaned close to her ear. "You've had a long, rough day."

"I want a small, seafood pizza," Lexsi said, handing her menu to the waitress.

"Want something else to drink?" the waitress smiled at us.

"I would like a refill," Kell indicated his wineglass.

"Bring two strawberry shakes, one for me and one for her," Opal pointed at Lexsi. "They're excellent," Opal said before Lexsi could refuse. "You need the sugar—you look pale, young one," Opal continued as the waitress walked away.

"I don't like being the young one," Lexsi dropped her eyes and twisted her fingers together.

"I know." Opal's smile was bittersweet. "I don't really like being so ancient. There's not much I can do about it," she added. "After a while, everything gets old. It's difficult to surprise an Old One."

"Madam Director," Kell began.

"You surprise me, Kell Abenott," Opal turned toward him. Lexsi and I watched as wonder touched his features and a slow smile spread across his face.

* * *

Anita

I held back from touching Watson. Yes, I cared about him, but the girlfriend thing still rankled. He'd gone for her after rescuing his sister, and she'd nearly killed him.

Yet here I was, waiting on his every wish and whim.

I sighed.

At least he was asleep. Sleep had been difficult for me since the big fight. Tibby—I could see in his eyes he mourned Martin, the cousin he'd lost. He tried to hide it from Farin, though.

"At least Claudia's dead," Sandra whispered, placing a cup of hot tea in my hands.

"Yeah." I didn't add that Felicia was dead, too, and good riddance.

I expected that Felicia—and her death—would create a canyon between Watson and me. Lexsi was right, dammit. I couldn't be just a sex partner to him, no matter what I said to the contrary.

Besides, nowhere in the records had a Sirenali ever mated with a werewolf. I doubted that tradition would be broken by the two of us.

Klancy and Mason stepped inside Watson's bedroom, probably to ensure that we were there and safe. They'd awakened with the setting sun, minutes earlier.

"Is there anything you need?" Sandra half rose from her chair.

"No," Klancy held up a hand. "We have fed and all is well. We merely wanted news of the day's events."

"I can fill you in while you see the rest of it on TV," I said, nodding to Sandra and rising from the chair I occupied. "The others are safe, but the prison is destroying itself from the inside."

* * *

"It is most fortunate that those victims no longer appear to be the criminals they replaced," Klancy said after I muted the sound on the news program. News crews, forced to report from far a distance, had long lenses trained on the prison. Half of it was now on fire.

Speculation was running wild as to how many deaths had occurred inside and the fate of the guards who'd been on duty when the riot erupted. If Lexsi were still employed by a news station in town, I could imagine her being the voice of reason as she stood there, mic in hand, while describing the day's events. She wouldn't make any wild accusations while she did it, either.

Kell had handled the situation at the prison with smooth aplomb, keeping everyone from panicking when the inmates threatened to break into our space. It made me want to ask what he'd been given to walk in daylight—I wanted those things for Klancy and Mason, too.

"I've never really been close to any vampires before," I looked at both. "I'm happy that you're my first vampire friends." I hoped I could count Kell as a friend, too—he'd impressed me already.

Mason grinned and held out his hand. Klancy did one better, rising from his seat at the island and moving to kiss my cheek. So far, Watson hadn't offered anything of the sort; he'd only barked at us when he was hungry, thirsty or tired.

He may have to warm his own bed
, I thought to myself, although I recognized it for the lie it was.

* * *

Lexsi

"I texted Anita, to tell her we're staying here for the night," I said. Kory and I had connecting rooms at a hotel in Silver Spring, not far from Opal's office. Opal promised that we'd have uniforms delivered in the morning, before we started our day on another plane ride—this time to Texas.

We were going to interview Loftin Qualls' family about the so-called copycat crime committed in Austin.

I suppose they thought themselves immune by now—with Loftin considered officially dead. At least Kell would be with us, if we needed compulsion. Anita would have been useful with her talent of obsession, but she was worried about Watson.

"I wish Klancy and Mason were like Kell," I said, pointing my newly purchased hairbrush at Kory, who lounged against the doorjamb separating our rooms.

"You mean able to walk in daylight and eat a normal meal?"

"Yeah." I let my shoulders droop.
If wishes were horses
, Gran always said,
beggars would ride
.

"Stranger things have surely happened," Kory pushed himself away from the doorjamb and walked toward me. "Give me a hug, baby, and I'll shut the door and let you sleep."

"Okay." More than anything, I wanted him to stay with me. I wanted to lay my head on his shoulder so I could feel safe while sleeping in a strange bed.

Things would be so much easier right now if he were human. He wasn't. He was High Demon, and we couldn't even kiss without complicating everything.

"Baby, you have the strangest look on your face." Kory pulled me into his arms.

"Why do our lives have to be so complicated?" I muffled against his chest.

"Shhh," he said, combing my hair with his fingers. "It'll all come right. You'll see."

* * *

Kordevik

At least the hotel had a bar. I tried to be as quiet as possible when I sneaked out of my room and shut the door. Lexsi didn't need to know that I wanted several stiff drinks before I even thought about sleeping. Lexsi was terrified of the bite—I could see it every time she thought about us together.

Why the fuck did a kiss have to be so messed up between us?

A kiss.

The first thing humans did when they liked each other.

No wonder High Demons were kept apart until their wedding. The whole mess was fucked up beyond fucking recognition.

"You look like a man with a story," the bartender set a double shot of bourbon in front of me.

"A story?" I shook my head at him. "I have a fucking set of encyclopedias."

* * *

Lexsi

I didn't say it, but Kory looked just as haggard as I did the following morning. Kell hadn't slept either, although he hid it well. I doubted he'd been able to see Opal past dinner—and he wanted to, I think. She'd gotten a call at the last minute, to attend an emergency meeting at the White House. She had to go, but got a driver to take us to our hotel.

Kory and I—we'd said good-night and shut the door between our rooms, when it was the last thing either of us wanted. If Kell were just as frustrated, then he had my sympathy.

"Ready for a plane ride to Texas?" The werewolf driver, Jorden Billings, was far too cheerful that early in the morning.

"You can sleep on the way," Kory lifted my hand and kissed it. "If you want to."

"I may have to," I said. "My brain is numb."

"Want coffee? We have time for Starbucks," Jorden grinned.

"I think we all need coffee," Kell replied.

* * *

Loftin Qualls' parents, in their eighties and richer than most people deserved, lived on the outskirts of Austin. They owned a ranch farther west, but chose to live closer to the city for health reasons.

Jorden explained that to us on the flight; Gerald and Anne Qualls weren't in the best of health—all their money couldn't buy younger bodies or better wellbeing. It could only make them more comfortable in their waning years.

Great. We're interviewing sick people
, Kory growled in my head.

I felt as he did. A part of me understood how ill, elderly parents might come to make a decision concerning their incarcerated son; one that would release him while putting another in his place.

I wondered if they knew who'd been placed in Loftin's cell before the scheduled execution.

For now, I was grateful Loftin hadn't gone on another killing spree. It made me wonder if his parents knew where he was, or whether he'd been squirreled away by those who'd facilitated his escape.

If the latter were true, then Laurel and her Karathian counterparts had a torturing and killing machine at their disposal. Either way, it wasn't good.

"Baby, we'll get through this," Kory's hand gripped mine as the jet descended toward Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

* * *

Kordevik

On the drive to the Qualls' home outside Austin, I watched Lexsi's face. She wasn't talking, but I understood Loftin Qualls' attack on a women's shelter still disturbed her. I had no idea what his parents would be like—they had to know their son was a monster.

Kell—he'd read about Qualls' conviction on the plane ride to Texas, which included files of material describing his victims. I'd discovered that Kell was a speed-reader—no surprise, since he was an old vampire.

What did surprise me was the way he'd accepted English as another language in his repertoire. I'd had to fumble my way through slang, idioms and colloquialisms for three months or more before feeling comfortable.

Kell had it already, and I could only salute his rapid adaptability.

"We're here," Jorden announced as he steered the car through a tall, metal gate. It was open because we had an appointment.

The wide, intricately carved front door opened before we could knock; a servant invited us into the massive home and asked if we wanted food or drink.

Jorden declined for all of us; I didn't want anything from anyone named Qualls. I knew Lexsi didn't, either. If I'd had my way, I'd have gone in with Kell, only, and we'd have done the questioning rather than putting Lexsi through this.

It's fine
, Lexsi sent mindspeech.
I want to know whether they're at the bottom of this and if they know where Loftin is, now. Off the record, remember?

That had been Opal's stipulation—that any information given by Loftin's parents would remain secret—they believed we wanted to ask questions about a copycat killer.

We were ushered into a downstairs sitting room, where Gerald and Anne were seated, waiting for us.

Behind them hung a painting of Gerald's father, who'd served in the state legislature. They were arming themselves against any accusations that could come from us, by dressing regally, jewelry included.

We were seated opposite them, much like an audience with royals. Frankly, I didn't care how much goddam money they had. Their son was a murderous lunatic, and they'd paid to get him out of jail.

That's when Lexsi's hand touched mine.
We'll get through this
, she reminded me.