Fury of the Demon

Chapter 20

I opened my eyes to sun slanting through the blinds. No alarm clock. No phone call. The smell of something baking. I glanced at the clock, pleased to see that I’d slept over eight hours. I could get used to this.

I had about thirty minutes before Jill arrived for our walk and talk. When I wandered out to the kitchen, I found Ryan at the table, already dressed and with his laptop open.

“You made coffee,” I observed. Plenty of time for coffee. Hell, I’d make time for coffee.

He looked up and gave me a smile. “I sure did. It shortens the Grumpy Kara time if it’s ready to go when you wake up.”

“I’m never grumpy,” I protested unconvincingly. “Ever.” I filled my cup and dumped in sugar and cream. “How are you feeling this morning?” I had no idea if Ryan felt any residuals of the convulsions Szerain had yesterday.

“I’m feeling fine,” he said giving me a wary look. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t be?”

I smiled sweetly. “No! Not at all. Can’t a girl ask about your well-being?”

“You? Nope,” he said with a grin, then gestured toward the oven. “I made some bacon-topped maple roll things. They’re done, but I’m sure you’re not hungry. Zack and I will manage to keep them from going to waste.”

“Nice try.” I pulled the oven door open, and the sight and smell of the rolls set my mouth watering. I grabbed a potholder and moved the baking sheet to the stovetop, transferred one of the delectables to a plate, then took a bite. “Holy shit. You’ve been keeping these secret all this time? I’ll have to run the obstacle course three times, but it’s worth it.”

“My mom’s recipe,” he said. “I found it tucked away in a photo album. I don’t remember her making them, but they sure are good.”

I stopped chewing as my heart clenched with a fierce ache. Of course he didn’t remember his mom making them. He wasn’t really Ryan Kristoff. How did all of that work? I wondered as I resumed chewing. As far as I’d been able to determine, Szerain took over the real Ryan’s life a decade and a half ago, and the Ryan I knew was actually Szerain with an arcanely altered face. Before then, Ryan Kristoff had a full life that included family and college and work. How had Szerain replaced him without raising suspicions? And what happened to the real Ryan?

I finished my bite. “These are damn good,” I said. “Any other secret recipes hiding out?”

“A few. I’ll let you taste test if you’re a good girl.”

My witty retort went unsaid as the gate control panel buzzed. I glanced over at the screen to see Jill’s car pulling through the gate. “Crap! I’m not even dressed.” I hurried to down the rest of the coffee.

Ryan grinned. “I’m so damn interesting you can’t even think straight.”

I set the cup in the sink and thwacked him on the shoulder as I passed by on the way to my bedroom. “Yeah, that’s it. Had me all aflutter and hanging on every word. Since you’re so interesting, you can entertain Jill until I get ready.”

Ryan answered with a laugh.

After taking a few minutes to throw on clothes and shoes and take care of some other necessary business, I returned to the kitchen. “Hey, mama.”

“Hey, yourself. I brought some fresh fruit cups from the market,” Jill announced with a smile. “But I’ve ruined all of that and indulged in one of Ryan’s evil rolls.”

I laughed. “Yeah. You’re weak like that. Me? I resisted.”

She leveled a mom-worthy glare at me. “Kara Gillian. Number one, I know you better than that. Number two, you have maple drizzle on your chin.”

Damn. I hurriedly swiped at the evidence.

Ryan tucked his laptop into its case and pulled on his suit jacket. “I know this is going to be a blow to you both, but I can’t stay. Court.”

“Aw, man!” I said with a mock-pout. “And we were going to talk about female bodily fluids!”

Jill grinned evilly. “I’ve been learning all about post-pregnancy discharge.”

Ryan made an agonized face. “I did not hear that. Did not.” With that he gave us a wave and left.

I laughed. “Makes them squirm every time. You ready to go? The boys have been doing their best to turn my property into a theme park.”

“I know. You can’t even imagine the things I talked them out of.”

I gave her a wary look as I opened the back door. “Like what?”

“For starters, a pool table in the living room. Can you believe it? In the living room.”

“A pool table,” I repeated in disbelief. “I guess I should be glad that the majority of my summoning chamber remained untouched.” Amusement at the possibilities set me laughing again. “I’m picturing returning from the demon realm and landing in a hot tub.” I stretched as we reached the bottom of the steps and started across the grass. “I can’t complain about the kitchen though. And the yard looks better than it ever has.”

“I contributed to the state of the yard by sitting on the porch and watching them work,” Jill said with a grin.

“I think you get a free pass on yard work for a while,” I said with a nod toward her enormous midsection as we walked toward one of the trails into the woods. “Good thing we got an early start. The day’s gonna be a scorcher.”

She peered up at the cloudless sky. “We’re supposed to get a front through late afternoon. That’ll cool things off.” Her gaze returned to me. “You’re summoning Mzatal back today?” she asked. “And the other two?”

I nodded. “Things are starting to get pretty complicated now. Too many bad guys to keep track of.”

“Fortunately, most are in the demon realm, not here.”

I glanced over at her. “Not anymore.” We walked along in silence for several minutes. “Okay, I’m not going to try to be all devious or subtle,” I finally said. “I told you what happened to me yesterday. You need to come live here.”

Jill stopped and turned to face me, her lips pressed tightly together. “I knew there was more to this let’s-exercise-in-the-morning thing. Zack put you up to this?”

I regarded her seriously. “Actually, we both came at it from different directions, but yes, I totally agree with him. It’s safer here.”

“It’s safer in a maximum-security prison cell,” she all but snarled, “but it doesn’t mean I’m going to move into one.” She raised a hand and took a step back from me, clearly indicating she’d already shut the door on this conversation. “I go to work every day without a bodyguard. That wouldn’t change if I lived here. Zack has my house warded. Same here. You have a billion people here. I have my lovely, quiet house. I need my privacy.”

“Look, the warding on your house is nothing compared to what we have here now,” I stated. “And yes, we have a lot of people here, but there’s a reason for that. It’s fucking dangerous right now, and we’re better off pooling resources and brainpower.” Frustration edged my voice. “And, damn it, we care about you—Zack, Ryan, me. So, like it or not, when you’re not here, we worry about you.”

Indignation swept over her face. “Is that supposed to be some sort of guilt trip?”

“Not at all. I’m simply telling you the way it is,” I replied. “And I’m sorry you’re in the middle of a mess you didn’t make, but you are. I have enemies who don’t play around. You’re close to me. You’re a target.”

“Great,” she said, throwing her hands up. “You’re telling me there are people who want to hurt or kidnap me? Me?”

“I don’t know, but it’s a big enough possibility for Zack and me to be riding your ass about it.”

She shook her head in a definitive No. “I can’t live like that. Afraid to move. No way. What’s next? Quit my job?”

I drew a breath and sought calm. “You know the body in the semi-trailer? The one with the sigils carved all over her torso?” I wanted to add, The one who was raped and sodomized? but didn’t. She knew. “That was done by the people who have Idris. The body had a trap on it, set for me. And let’s not forget that Farouche had me at gunpoint for ten minutes yesterday.” Her brow furrowed, and I could tell I was gaining ground. “These assholes mean business, and the people who love you want you and the bean to be as safe as possible.” I softened my tone. “That’s all. It wouldn’t be for very long.” I hoped that was true. “Surely you can sacrifice a little privacy for a month or two for peace of mind? At least until the bean is born?”

She took back the ground I’d gained and stared at me with new horror in her eyes. “A month? Or two?” she said, aghast. “Zack didn’t say anything about months—not that we got that far.”

I sighed and started down the trail again. “I don’t understand. You’re not shy. You’re great with people. Why is this such a big deal?”

“Sure, when I want to be out among people.” She paused as if to organize her thoughts. “It’s just . . . I need alone time every day to chill. I couldn’t even do a dorm in college. Being around people whether I want to or not?” She shook her head firmly. “No. Nuh uh. And, yes, Zack said he’d get an RV,” she said with exasperation. “That’s better than living in your house, but it would be cramped and— ” Distress flickered in her eyes, but she pulled herself together in a flash, as though accustomed to suppressing whatever thought had triggered it. She took a breath and continued, “Here’s the deal. I have a house I love that’s five minutes away from work, not thirty. Zack has it armed to the teeth with wards. I need my space, and I don’t do well with group living. Too much stress. It’s nothing personal. I know you’re trying to help.”

I winced, exhaled. “All right, but the invitation is always out there.” Jill tended to be practical, not stubborn, which told me that more lurked behind her aversion to living in a community than she chose to share. A traumatic event? Family drama? Zack and I would need some insight on the real issue and a sweeter offer than an RV if we wanted her to agree to move here. I’d have another chat with Zack later. “Let’s forget about it for now. You okay with that?”

“Totally. I am so done with it,” she said then flashed me a smile to signal we were complete.

Complete for now. But I went ahead and changed the subject. “I told you about Paul, right? I think you’ll like him. He’s a sweet kid.” I shook my head. “No, not a kid. Twenty-ish, but he comes across with that youthful exuberance.”

Jill laughed. “A kid to you. You are over thirty you know.”

I held back a sigh. “I know. I sure missed spending that milestone with my best friends.” It had passed unnoticed in the demon realm, with Mzatal holed up in the plexus for the days before, during, and after. By the time he came out it seemed silly to even mention it since I knew his focus had been on finding Idris. I couldn’t even blame Mzatal for not making any sort of deal over it. What was thirty years to someone who’d seen thousands of them?

“Yeah, that kind of sucks. Maybe we can make up for it later,” she said with a wink. “You told me Paul and the other guy are super close. Are they a couple?”

“Y’know, I get the feeling Paul is gay, but I’m pretty sure it’s more like a big brother kind of thing between those two.”

“That’s cool,” she said with approval. “With what he’s been through with the kidnapping and everything, sounds like he could use that kind of support.”

“Thatcher was pretty much unconscious the whole time he was here, so I don’t know yet if he’s a dick. However, I do know he took a bullet for Paul without hesitation.” I replayed the scene in my mind. “Dude has some awesome reflexes. He jumped in front of Paul before that stupid security guard even squeezed the trigger.”

“Could be he has Paul dependent on him,” she said. Worry swept over her face. “Same thing that gets me worried about you and Mzatal, and yeah, I know—it’s not like that.”

I winced and shook my head as we headed across the lawn to the house. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it a lot. Stockholm syndrome, all of that.” We walked a moment in silence. “But, I’m not dependent on Mzatal, and he does want the best for me. He dissolved our agreement because he said if we can’t simply trust one another, the whole thing was pointless.” I smiled a bit. “He loves me,” I said, then smiled more. “And yeah, I love him too.”

Jill put on her best fake-tough-girl face. “He hasn’t earned the Jill seal of approval yet. When do I get to check out this so-called loverboy? I missed him last time he was here.”

I laughed. “Come over this afternoon, and you can check him out all you want.”

“I’ll do that,” she said. “I have to go to birthing class this morning, because y’know, she’ll never come out if I don’t have proper training.” Her face fell.

“What’s wrong, chick?” I asked.

“Zack’s only made it to one of them,” she said and sighed. “I told him I would change to evening classes, but he still didn’t say, ‘Oh yes dear, that will be wonderful! I can make it then.’”

“Sheesh. Men.” I snorted “Demon men.” I tilted my head. “Maybe it’s simply that he already knows all the stuff and doesn’t realize it’s more for your support? I’ll slap him and inform him, if you think it’ll help.”

Jill narrowed her eyes at me. “How would a demon know all about human childbirth?”

“I’m sure he’s been around plenty of humans. There used to be a lot of back and forth between the two worlds up until sometime in the sixteen-hundreds.”

She considered that. “So he’s read a book or whatever. It’s not the same thing—” She turned and stared at me. “Wait. Wait. You’re telling me that Zack was around in the seventeenth century?”

Whoa. He hadn’t told her news as big as that yet? “Umm, well . . . yeah,” I said, shifting my weight a couple of times as if preparing to flee her impending wrath. “Plus a couple thousand years earlier, most likely.”

Jill went super-calm scary. “I’m going to kill him.”

The urge to flee grew. “I honestly thought he’d have told you this stuff by now.”

She added narrowed eyes to her scariness. “What other ‘stuff’ is there?”

Where would I even start with something like that? “Let’s back up.” I summoned up a glare of my own. “Have you ever asked him to tell you about his demon-ness.”

“Sure I have,” she insisted. “But he didn’t say he was around to witness the fall of Troy!”

“What did you ask him?”

She fidgeted and looked away “I don’t remember!” she exclaimed. “Something about what it was like being a demon.”

I knew Jill. She would never hesitate to ask all sorts of embarrassing questions if she wanted to know the answer. She’d been with Zack for a good while now, and she might have asked him a vague question about being a demon? Nope. That didn’t cut it.

“It’s scary, isn’t it,” I said gently.

“Scary? Zack?” She tried to laugh it off, shook her head.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s pretty scary. All really weird and different. It’s hard to think of Zack as a demon too, which probably doesn’t help.” Zack played his human role well. He blended, a surfer dude. Nice guy and tough fed. No one would have a clue he was anything but human. The only reason I did was because he’d shown superhuman strength and speed when picking me up to race me away from an attempted summoning. “Have you ever seen his demon form?”

Jill sobered and went a bit pale. “No.”

I sighed. What the hell was Zack thinking keeping her in the dark like this? “Jill, you should. The demahnk are beautiful. You still care about him, right?”

“Yes. Sure I do,” she said, but the look in her eyes reminded me of a rabbit ready to run.

Worry rose in me for both Jill and Zack. “Look, please, for your sake and your daughter’s, please talk to him about this. Ask him about him.”

“Okay. Yeah. Sure.” She glanced at her watch. “I gotta go! Time to learn how to squirt this kid out.”

Run rabbit run. “Okay.” I gave her a hug along with the best smile I could manage. “You’ll come by later, right?”

“Yep. After lunch and errands.”

“Sounds good. Happy squirting!” I frowned. “That came out wrong.”

Jill laughed. “It sure did! See you later. Make sure your honey is all spruced up for his inspection.”

I grinned. “I think you’ll like what you see.”