bedeviled & beyond 03 - bedeviled & beleaguered

• Title Page
  
• Copyright Page
  
• Bedeviled & Beleaguered (BEDEVILED & BEYOND, #3)
  
• PROLOGUE | And into the mist...
  
• CHAPTER ONE | Girls’ Night Out?
  
• CHAPTER TWO | You Can Never Go Home Again
  
• CHAPTER THREE | Can You Feel It?
  
• CHAPTER FOUR | It Begins
  
• CHAPTER FIVE | A Slight Swimming Incident
  
• CHAPTER SIX | Of Prophecy and Prophets
  
• CHAPTER SEVEN | A Visit to an Old Friend
  
• CHAPTER EIGHT | A New Employee
  
• CHAPTER NINE | Bob’s Your Neighbor
  
• CHAPTER TEN | “Saving” Weighs
  
• CHAPTER ELEVEN | Hangin’ Around
  
• CHAPTER TWELVE | A Fine Adventure
  
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN | Searching for the Truth
  
• CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Devil in the Ranks
  
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN | Dragon Breath
  
• CHAPTER SIXTEEN | Baby Dragon Breath
  
• CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | Fairy Dust Up
  
• CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | A Lift from a Dragon
  
• CHAPTER NINETEEN | Go Time!
  
• CHAPTER TWENTY | Magical Arm Wrestling
  
• PROLOGUE | Milestones and Millstones
  
• CHAPTER ONE | Crowned!
  
• Also By Sam Cheever
  
• About the Author
  

Bedeviled & Beleaguered

BEDEVILED & BEYOND, Volume 3

Sam Cheever

Published by Electric Prose Publications, 2015.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

BEDEVILED & BELEAGUERED

First edition. September 8, 2015.

Copyright © 2015 Sam Cheever.

ISBN: 978-1943845491

Written by Sam Cheever.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Bedeviled & Beleaguered (BEDEVILED & BEYOND, #3)

PROLOGUE | And into the mist...

CHAPTER ONE | Girls’ Night Out?

CHAPTER TWO | You Can Never Go Home Again

CHAPTER THREE | Can You Feel It?

CHAPTER FOUR | It Begins

CHAPTER FIVE | A Slight Swimming Incident

CHAPTER SIX | Of Prophecy and Prophets

CHAPTER SEVEN | A Visit to an Old Friend

CHAPTER EIGHT | A New Employee

CHAPTER NINE | Bob’s Your Neighbor

CHAPTER TEN | “Saving” Weighs

CHAPTER ELEVEN | Hangin’ Around

CHAPTER TWELVE | A Fine Adventure

CHAPTER THIRTEEN | Searching for the Truth

CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Devil in the Ranks

CHAPTER FIFTEEN | Dragon Breath

CHAPTER SIXTEEN | Baby Dragon Breath

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | Fairy Dust Up

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | A Lift from a Dragon

CHAPTER NINETEEN | Go Time!

CHAPTER TWENTY | Magical Arm Wrestling

PROLOGUE | Milestones and Millstones

CHAPTER ONE | Crowned!

Also By Sam Cheever

About the Author

~SC~

"This is one of those series filled with all the good things I want in fiction. I can't imagine ever getting tired of books like these where the characters and dialogue make the action come alive for the reader!"
~ The Romance Studio

As a poisonous magic veil descends over Earth, turning humans into mindless killers and threatening another Great War between the magic and non-magic populations, Astra and the devilish Dialle must find a way to save humankind and defeat Satan himself. With madness rolling over everyone in waves and the guardian angels succumbing to a rare disease called Devil’s Plague, Astra finds herself walking a thin line between dark and light to vanquish the coming evil. Through it all, Astra and Dialle are still trying to forge a relationship together, despite the fact that they might be, once again, on opposite sides of the coming battle. Could it all be more than Astra Q Phelps can handle? There’s only one way to find out!

PROLOGUE

And into the mist...

Evil things do trickle down, to stain the Earthly soil,

Where twisted magic veils the Earth, mankind’s emotions boil.

Twisted magic should never have been able to get past the Big Guy and his army. But about thirty years ago, in 2060, the human race went berserk and started blowing itself up with laser rays and microwave bombs. Unfortunately, in the midst of the chaos created by the Great Wars, humans unwittingly allowed a few tendrils of the poisoned magic to take root. The festering energy came through in fragments too small to cause any real problems. But since that horrible time in human history, those tiny wisps of magic have grown and spread under the nurturing care of The Serpent and his dark minions.

Once this twisted magic found its way into the human dimension, God had no choice but to send his angels in to keep an eye on its progress. About ten years ago, God started using halflings to help the good side out. The only problem with halflings is that, by their very make-up they are some portion devil. That’s why they understand and know how to defeat the forces of evil. But it is also what has made them a little bit unpredictable to the good guys.

What exactly is a halfling you ask? A halfling is a non-human. They have neither wings nor horns but they generally have both angel and devil in their family forests. Which is probably why they enjoy a higher sensitivity to spectral influence than regular human-type people.

My name is Astra Q Phelps. Don’t ask me what the Q stands for because if I tell you I’ll have to turn you into atmospheric gas. I've burned all printed documentation of the name and though a lot of my enemies have tried to dig it out, no one will ever know what it stands for. A girl has to have some secrets. Especially when the truth would cause her some serious embarrassment.

I run a business called the Angel Network, which is the only devil and demon vanquishing business in the universe. In other words, I kick serious evil butt for a living. And over and above that job, I often find myself getting dragged in to help save the world when something goes amiss.

Unfortunately, that happens a lot.

Save the world from the devils, Astra... Save the world from the demons, Astra... Save the world from the witches, Astra.... Geesh!

It’s a very stressful way to live. And a hard way to make a living. But I’m a very tenacious creature and, well...no matter what the dark side throws at me...I’m definitely up for it!

I think...

CHAPTER ONE

Girls’ Night Out?

Into the demon’s lair she goes, to find a surly miss,

But what she finds cannot be true...A devil dating sis?

Of all the things I thought I’d be doing that night, rescuing my magic-phobic sister, Darma, from a group of “enthusiastic” admirers at the demon nightclub Castle Gregg, was not one of them.

Obviously I was surprised when I got the summons from Dialle. It was a toss-up over whether I was most surprised by the fact that he knew my sister was at Castle Gregg and the fact that she was there at all.

Darma’s older than me by five years. She’d served as both sister and mother to me throughout my childhood. Since our real mother had led a busy and secretive life, which apparently hadn’t been entirely compatible with her role as a mother, Darma’s inclination toward mothering had worked out fine for everybody but me. She’d always felt it was within her rights to tell me how to live my life. And she’d always been dead set against the use of magic, in all its forms.

Darma’s the sturdy, serious, dependable daughter. I’m the hot-headed, passionate and borderline psychotic spawn. I’m the dark side of a pairing between a devil and an angel. Darma is the cranky and all-too-serious, but light side. It’s always been an accepted fact in my family that Darma has no powers and, with her size nine feet resolutely planted on terra firma, she appears to have a severe allergy to all things unearthly and magical.

Which is why it was more than strange to hear she was cavorting with all manner of magical creatures.

I dropped the Viper into hover on the street just outside Castle Gregg and climbed out, sending it skyward with a command. Engaging the security system, I started across the moat bridge to the castle.

The doors of the place stood open to emit some of the noise, light and smoke from the packed bar. An array of ugly demons and not so ugly humans mingled in the doorway and on the bridge. I pushed my way through them, cringing away from the grasping, wormlike appendages on some of the demons’ heads.

I could see the demons in their true form. Humans saw only the mask the demons wanted them to see. Which was generally very pretty. So humans, if they even knew they were interacting with demons at all, thought demons were exceptionally pretty creatures.

Humans have an abundance of good traits. Their inability to see true evil when it’s licking a long, warty tongue up the length of their throats is not one of them.

I shoved my way through the door and immediately started looking for my sister. The crush of bodies in the cavernous place made that task all but impossible.

A few months back, Castle Gregg’s principle competitor, Demonica, had been burned to the ground by the Royal Devils in a pissing contest between the two dark factions. Castle Gregg was definitely reaping the benefits of that battle.

I decided it would be easier just to ask Dialle where she was. I stopped trying to push my way aimlessly through the crowd and concentrated my efforts inward.
Dialle
.

Astra, my love. Dance with me.
Hot breath caressed the back of my neck, followed quickly by the feather-soft touch of lips. I jumped and then sighed as his arms came around me from behind and our bodies melted together almost without a thought.

We stood swaying gently to the music, which had somehow gone from ceiling-beam-quivering laser rock to loin-tingling romantic. Within the space of a single heartbeat.

Did you do that?
His lips nuzzled the curve of my ear, followed by gentle nibbling.

What good is being a Royal Prince if there are no perks.

I grinned.
Is that one of the perks I’m feeling against my backside?

Definitely.

Suddenly Dialle stiffened and sighed.
Things worsen. We are needed.

We left the plane of sound and movement and drifted for a moment, returning to chaos in the midst of a scene that was guaranteed to strip a few years from my life.

Darma was sitting crossways in a chair, with a very ugly demon underneath her. His treelike black arms were wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides, and he was grinning in a not very nice way.

Torre, Dialle’s younger and less powerful brother stood directly in front of the demon, slim shoulders squared, and lean, muscular legs spread. His hands reached forward and slightly to his sides, palms upward. His face was nearly purple with outrage.

Darma looked as if she was ready to pee herself.

I fervently wished I could communicate with her telepathically, but I had to settle for Dialle.
What’s going on?

The demon is taunting Torre. He uses his feelings for your sister against him.

Feelings? What feelings?
I slid my gaze to Dialle, my mind bursting with questions I didn’t have time to ask.

He shook his head.
I’ll explain later.

Why doesn’t he just explode the ugly sucker and grab Darma back?

It’s complex. You know how your sister feels about magic?

I scrunched up my nose and nodded.
I see your point.

Torre is incapable of defeating the demon without using his powers and if he uses his powers Darma will never speak to him again.

I recognize this dilemma, I’ve been living it all my life.

Yes.

So what can we do? Should I blast the demon for him?

Dialle looked horrified.
No, you must not! If you have to save your sister Torre will look weak in her eyes.

I blew out a breath in frustration.
Then what?

I do not know. I’m thinking.

I crossed my arms under my breasts and scowled at the ugly demon. He laughed, apparently thinking he had us over a barrel. Actually he kind of did.

How about if I slip up behind him and tag him. Then Torre can grab Darma while I have him distracted and give him a power-induced punch in the nose.

Dialle thought about my suggestion for a moment.
I’ll create a distraction.

I melted back into the crowd, forcing myself not to look at my sister’s terrified face or the way her blue eyes widened when she saw me leaving. Since I’m barely five feet tall, it’s pretty easy for me to become invisible. I worked my way around to a spot where I figured I was behind the demon and then pushed through the crowd until I was standing close to his table.