Demon's Quest (13 page)

"That'll be hard for the teens to accept—they love to interact with those they don't know." Lok said, watching as I put the message together.

"Let's go to Farrahn," I said. "Just to see if there's anything there." Lok nodded, so I skipped us there.

"How many of those creatures are there?" Lok asked as we made our way through a playground where three children had disappeared.

"I saw six power flashes when they got away on Bardelus," I said. Lok whipped out his comp-vid and sent that message. "They didn't know?" I asked, trying to remember if I'd sent that information to Lendill earlier. I guess I hadn't. He would probably yell about it when I saw him next.

"He's asking if you forgot to tell him something," Lok turned his comp-vid around so I could see the message.

"Yeah, he'll yell the next time I see him," I grumped. Lok's black eyes gleamed with humor; he was enjoying himself. It was times like that when he reminded me of Dragon. I kept that information to myself.

"Look—chalk smudges," I pointed out the blue dust on the floor of the old gymnasium. "What do they use this for?" I looked around—there wasn't anything apparent.

"According to my records here, the teens gather at the end of the week and drink alcohol," Lok said, consulting his comp-vid.

"Why haven't they torn this down?" I looked at the ceiling, where old tiles and insulation were dangling precariously. Windows were broken or vandalized, brick crumbling—the place was a hazard. And now, three teens were missing and likely doomed if not dead already. Actually, likely Ra'Ak fodder already; these had been missing eleven days. I shook my head. "Lok, we need to find these things and the humans who help them."

"I agree," He nodded. "Are we ready to go back, now?"

"Yeah."

* * *

What do you wear to a tryst with the King of Karathia? I dithered after getting a bath and primping. Wylend and I had never had sex. Something always got in the way. Now that it was a planned thing, I got shaky over it. The dress he'd labeled his favorite was for a formal affair, in black silk. It did look good in contrast to my white-blonde hair, piled on top of my head. I remembered wearing jewels he'd said belonged to his mother. She died in the coup that killed his father.

I still had the tunic and loose pants in purple that Nefrigar had manufactured somehow. I slipped into that, along with the silver shoes that matched the embroidery. I hadn't seen my patron Larentii for a while and it made me wonder where he was.

I'd broiled a steak for Lok before going to get dressed, and he'd even cleaned up the kitchen after he ate. He'd settled in the media room afterward to watch the news vids for anything new that might come along.

"I'll be back tomorrow," I told him before skipping away.

* * *

"Here's my love, now." Wylend smiled at me. "You look beautiful." I'd skipped into his sitting room and found Corolan there with Wylend.

"Little girl, you don't know how we worried over you," Corolan sighed, leaning down to kiss me before folding away.

"I have champagne on ice, love," Wylend settled me on the wide sofa and poured a glass for me. I love champagne. This one was perfect. "Are you nervous?" he asked me.

"Um-huh," I nodded as I sipped my drink.

"It's just me, love. Nothing here to be frightened of. Do you think I won't know how to treat my Reah?" Wylend removed his jacket, and then his shirt. I'd never seen him without a shirt. He was muscular—more so than I imagined. "I work out with Corolan and Garek," he smiled at me. "It's not all sex with them, you know. And if you ever want either of them, all you have to do is say it."

"They're not obligated," I muttered.

"They know that. They want you, Reah. I think Corolan has a permanent erection around you."

"Wylend, Corolan's erection isn't the one I'm concerned with, right now."

"Is it mine that you're focused on?" Wylend leaned in to kiss me. And then kissed me again, touching my mouth with his tongue. When I parted my lips for him, he took full advantage. "Yes," a thrust with his tongue. "See," another thrust. "Here," he took my hand and placed it over the bulge in his pants. They were quite tight, there. "Rub this, Reah. For me." He guided my hand; he was still kissing me and pushing me back on the sofa. "Undress me. Please."

I fumbled with the button, and then three more buttons, freeing the erection we'd discussed earlier—he hadn't bothered with underwear. His hips and thighs hard with muscle, I had a bit of difficulty pushing his pants down. Wylend didn't care. Once they were lower than his knees, he pushed me back all the way and kicked them off, not caring where they landed. Now, his hands were under my top, fingers stroking ribs and the underside of my breasts. In a flash of movement, the top was over my head and gone.

"These are perfect," he lowered his head to a nipple and nipped it with his teeth. Grinding his erection against me, he sucked the nipple into his mouth before turning his attention to the other one. Had I thought this to be slow? Wylend was nearly frenzied. His hand at the small of my back, he worked the tie loose and pulled the silk pants down.

"These—you must buy more of these," he whispered, kissing the top of my lacy panties. I would have to—he ripped them away with power. "Are we ready, Reah?" Two fingers slipped inside. "Ready enough," he sighed and took me swiftly.

* * *

"So beautiful." I woke later to dim light in Wylend's bedroom. Corolan lay beside me on Wylend's huge bed. I frowned—when had Corolan come?

"I haven't come. Yet," Corolan murmured, reading my thoughts and brushing my left nipple with a knuckle. "Tell me if you don't want this, little girl. The stars know I do." Corolan leaned down and kissed me. His loving was slow and erotic, making me crazy after a while, and I was begging him with my body to increase his pace. Smiling down at me, he gave me a little before backing off again. Corolan had my hands in his, both raised over my head. He refused to let me use them while his body worshipped mine. That's the only way I can describe it. His skin against mine nearly drove me wild. Now I knew why Wylend wanted Corolan in his bed. Corolan thrust faster after I begged him to do so; I came, and then came again, crying out with the pleasure.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to hear," Corolan said softly, before his thrusts increased and he took his pleasure as well.

* * *

"Sleep, Reah." I moaned when Corolan left the bed early the next morning. I did sleep, for perhaps another click or two, before someone else lifted me from the bed and carried me to Wylend's private bath.

"Father will not come to you, because he knows I desire this." Radolf had come from somewhere, and he carried me into the shower after using his ability to turn it on and set it at the right temperature. I was a little sore from the night before. Radolf took care of that, loving me in the shower and then meticulously washing my body. Wylend found us huddled together in bed, my head on Radolf's shoulder while he sipped tea that had been left in the bedroom for us.

"We wore our little Queen out, Radolf," Wylend chuckled.

"I can't move," I moaned.

"You don't have to," Radolf murmured. "The palace will wait on us today. They'll feed you by hand if you wish it, heart's love." Radolf was stroking my hair when my heart seized.

"Fuck!" I shouted and skipped away.

* * *

Lok had two blades out, facing Ra'Ak spawn on school grounds. These spawn no longer resembled the humans they'd once been; they'd changed already. Students, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen, were huddled against a fence at Lok's back while teachers pressed against them, trying to keep them calm. Lok didn't know to take their heads and there I was, clad only in a towel, staring at nearly a dozen hungry spawn.

"Reah!" Aurelius appeared, tossing a Ranos rifle to me. I started shooting the moment it reached my hands.

* * *

"Nice outfit," Lok commented dryly after the spawn dusted.

"Don't be an idiot," I muttered, pulling my towel up and attempting to secure it better. "We need to check every one of those students. If any one of them can't speak when normally they do, then they were bitten."

"I'll help," Aurelius went toward the crowd still huddled against the fence. Norian, Lendill, Gavin and Tony showed up to help, just as the local authorities did. Gavin, Tony and Aurelius would know if any of those children were spawn, just by
Looking
or sniffing. They sorted three out of the crowd. I felt ill.

"We can't kill them here," I was brushing tears away. The students had been traumatized enough already. "How did you know to come?" I turned to Lok.

"I came to speak with Andree's boyfriend. He was one of those you just shot. And what did you call them?"

"Those are Ra'Ak spawn. So, Andree's boyfriend really hasn't spoken to anybody since the incident, has he? His parents covered for him and this is what they got." I shook my head. "You have to cut their heads off, or shoot them with a Ranos pistol or rifle. That's the only thing that will kill them," I added.

"I watched the boy turn into that creature the moment I called out to him," Lok said. "And then he charged me. I was wearing my blades beneath my coat." He had a long coat lying on the ground nearby. "I cut several of them; they surrounded the boyfriend and all turned at the same time. Everybody was running and screaming."

"Can we go now? I'm a little underdressed," I complained.

"And turning blue." Lok lifted his coat and wrapped it around me.

Auri, I'm going to the apartment. Come by when you're done
, I sent.

I will
. I grabbed Lok's arm and skipped away. He made tea for me this time, while I was dressing in the warmest fleece I could find. I was still shivering when he handed the hot drink to me after I scrambled onto a barstool.

"Reah, you're still shivering, love," Aurelius appeared, followed by Lendill, Norian, Gavin and Tony a few ticks later.

"I'm trying to warm up," I said, sipping the tea. Lok made it stronger than I did, but that was to be expected—he was Falchani.

"Gavril says that the core must be repaired on Campiaa," Gavin sat on my other side.

"I know. I was going this week." I'd always been frightened of Gavin, for some reason. He never let you see what he was thinking and that always worried me. Aurelius was his vampire sire, and Gavin was Teeg's father. Either way, I had to deal with him.

"Am I something to be dealt with?" He tilted his head slightly and looked at me. Gavin was a Spawn Hunter, just as Aurelius, Tony, Drake and Drew were. He could lift thoughts from heads just as easily as the rest of them.

"You scare the bejeezus out of me," I admitted, using one of Lissa's terms. Chash and I used to laugh over that one—we never could figure it out.

"He scares you? Reah, I just watched you shoot eleven of those creatures in four ticks." Lok shook his head.

"Yeah? You're not married—inadvertently—to his son, either."

"Is that what you call ours, too? Inadvertent?" Lendill looked at me while reaching for the sugar across the island. I stared in amazement as it moved on its own, slapping into his hand.

"Uh, honey, you just pulled the sugar to your hand," I pointed out.

"Well, maybe I'm not such a disappointment to my father after all. Now, back to the question." Lendill was like a bulldog. A handsome bulldog, but a bulldog, all the same.

"What would you call it?" I said. "You show up with your father, you're both speaking a language I don't understand and then he says
say yes, Reah
. I say yes and boom! We're married. Isn't that inadvertent? And before you start," I turned to Gavin, "Arvil San Gerxon demanded that Teeg and I marry. I'd say that was inadvertent, too. And you still scare the bejeezus out of me."

Tony started laughing. Maybe he could. Maybe he'd never been afraid of tall, dark and brooding.

"I do not brood." Gavin declared and sipped his tea.

"Child, she can't interpret what you don't show," Aurelius told Gavin over my head.

"Reah, how would a High Demon stack up against a Spawn Hunter?" Tony was only chuckling now.

"I have no desire to find out," I snapped. If I had anything suitable at hand, I might have thrown it at him.

"What's a High Demon?" Lok was watching and listening with his usual inscrutability.

"Reah." Several voices said at the same time.

"Reah, it is decidedly inconvenient to have to search constantly for you." Corolan showed up, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You could have sent mindspeech," I said, trying to make myself smaller.

"Would you answer?"

"Yes. All those times, you would have gotten something from me, if you'd just bothered."

"Stars have mercy," Corolan rubbed his forehead.

"Who is this?" Lok said.

"Corolan, uh—what's your title?" I asked him. I couldn't say concubine; that was demeaning and didn't fully explain what he was. Well, now he was my lover, too, and I still didn't know how to explain it.

"Special advocate to the throne," Corolan looked at me. "Reah, I want to glare at you. Perhaps chastise a little. Wylend has court, or he would be here himself."