rest of her didn’t know what to say. Her life was on the line, in
the hands of a demon who cared nothing about her. His eyes
flashed again, meeting hers as confusion and exasperation filled
him.
“Then it will be a breach of contract and you’ll have to take it up
with your lord.” Cassandra said and Leviathan frowned for a
second before going completely stoic. He turned his back on
Kailani and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“It seems I don’t have a choice.”
“How am I getting him to Australia?” Kailani asked after a
moment of silence between the three of them, her voice defeated
as he made a noise of annoyance. Kai stared at his back for a
second, watching his shoulders tense under her gaze. Cassandra
just sounded excited.
“Well, you could make him a passport yourself which is probably
gonna look like shit cause you suck at arts and crafts, or I can do
a little scrying and find you someone who can make it for you.”
“Scrying? Isn’t that when you hold a crystal over a map and try
to find people?”
“Yes…it’s either Scrying or a phonebook, take your pick.”
“Phonebook.”
“Spoiled sport.”
Chapter Four
Dawn came a lot sooner than either of them would have
expected. Kailani hadn’t slept at all, and how could she with a
demon pacing around her house and at least fifty more waiting
outside to kill her. She sat in the living room on the couch,
watching Levi move from spot to spot, examining her things,
turning lights on and off and generally acting as if he had some
demonic form of ADHD. When she couldn’t take it anymore she
lifted the remote control off the coffee table and chunked it at his
head. Much to her dismay he caught it with ease then turned it
over in his hands, staring at it as if it were some foreign object
he’d never seen before.
“I know what it is in theory I just haven’t seen it in person. Dare I
ask…?” He cocked a brow down at her and she sat up straight to
glare at him.
“It’s a remote, it controls the television you’re standing in front
of.” She told him and he turned to stare down at her parents old
antique tube set. Everything in their house was aged, from the
furniture to the carpet, even the wallpaper looked as if it had been
meticulously picked out to mirror some seventies family sitcom.
“And since we’re stuck together a little while longer than
planned, why don’t we work out a couple house rules hmm?” She
asked, standing and going to pluck the remote out of his hands,
slapping them away when they moved to pick up another of her
mothers expensive porcelain figurines. His glare matched hers.
“Such as?”
“Such as no reading my mind unless I invite you to do so, and no
touching my parents things. Heaven forbid you actually break
something irreplaceable.” He appeared intrigued by that.
“What do I get in return for such good behavior?” he asked
simply but she couldn’t help feeling like he was contemplating
something mischievous. She eyed him carefully but he had a
perfect poker face. Finally she sighed, giving up on her attempt to
figure him out.
“I don’t know, what do demons want?” As soon as the words left
her lips she regretted them. Leviathan pounced with a growl that
sent a little shock of heat skittering to the center of her body,
gathering her in his arms, his lips on hers as his hands roved her
smaller frame. Seeking, grabbing and teasing, sending her
passion higher and higher as he fanned a flame that burned deep
inside of her. Kailani barely recognized her own voice as she
groaned, her head falling back against her shoulders as he
assaulted her throat and tops of her breasts with his lips and
tongue. The gentle scrape of his fangs against her flesh drove her
senseless, his touch intoxicating as all rational thought fled,
leaving her a quivering mound of heat, like putty in his hands. It
wasn’t until she felt his hand at the button of her jeans did she
finally snap out of her stupor, shoving him away from her and
putting distance between them both. Kai glared up at his smug
smirk as she panted and attempted to gather the few wits he
hadn’t scattered.
“Rule number three, definitely none of that.” She struggled to
catch her breath as he folded his arms over his broad chest.
“And why not?”
“Because you’re a freaking demon!” He arched a brow.
“Oh? I wasn’t aware. Besides, the fact that I’m a demon doesn’t
seem to stop you from those little fantasies you keep having. The
one with the chocolate on the swing set is especially inventive.”
He watched her face flame and she shook her finger at him.
“Rule one! Remember rule one!” She yelled and he chuckled
darkly. Kailani was about to tell him to shove his humor up his
rear orifice when the phone rang suddenly and she nearly jumped
out of her skin until it announced Cassandra’s name. Snatching
the phone off the nearby base she pressed it to her ear. “Tell me
you’ve invented demon repellent.”
“I’ve invented demon repellent…” Cassandra said hesitantly.
“…Really?” Kai asked, ignoring Leviathan’s droll look.
“No. But that would be awesome right?” She laughed nervously
and Kailani deflated, moving to reclaim her seat on the couch.
“Yes it would. At least tell me you have good news.”
“Well yes, good news and bad news. The good news is I can get
you a ten AM flight to Australia.”
“And the bad news?” She asked, watching Leviathan ignore her
rules and blatantly touch every single one of her mother’s
figurines. The bastard was doing it on purpose.
“The bad news is Leviathan can’t go with you. Apparently
finding someone to create a fake identity for a demon isn’t
exactly simple.” Kai sighed, she’d figured as much.
“So what should I do?”
“You and Leviathan are gonna have to make a break for it. By the
time you get to the airport I’ll have figured something out.”
“In other words we have no plan?”
“Pretty much…”
“I’m screwed.”
“No, don’t say that.” Cassandra huffed, “When you leave the
demons will probably follow you. There are lots of people in
Kalihi and it’s only about a ten-minute drive to the airport if you
take the highway. Trust me, I used MapQuest.” She said and Kai
sighed.
“This has failure written all over it Cass.”
“Don’t be such a pessimist. Just remember, anything is possible. I
mean look around you.” She lifted her head to stare at Leviathan
who glared back.
“If you start spouting off nonsense about Peter Pan and fairies
I’m going to kill you.” He growled and she frowned, ignoring his
threat.
“Hey, how come you know about Peter Pan but not about
television?” She asked and his glare didn’t budge.
“I know what a television is this is just the first time I’ve seen
one.”
“Uh huh. Cassandra tell me this harebrained idea of yours is
actually going to work.”
“It’s going to work. Don’t worry. Just get to the airport and call
me back. Everything’s going to be alright Kai.” She said her
goodbyes and hit the end button, simultaneously wanting to
scream, cry and click her heels to see if she could teleport back to
Kansas.
“What’s the plan?” Leviathan asked and she met his eyes.
“To wing it. We’re headed to the airport,” She eyed his bare chest
and the cuts that were nearly completely healed. “But first you
need a shirt. I don’t suppose you have magical powers and can
just poof up clothing?” He gave her a droll look.
“Do I look like a magician?” Kailani shrugged.
“Maybe?” He glared in return.
“No, I cannot manifest clothing or anything else for that matter.”
He said and she sighed, standing and making her way towards the
bedroom. Hopefully her father left something behind that he
could borrow until she was rid of him. Leviathan followed her
silently, watching her pull an old suitcase from the bottom of the
closet and lay it on the bed. Opening it she leaned over the bed
and began carefully unpacking it, her fathers cologne instantly
hitting her nose and bringing tears to her eyes. Even after all
those years she still remembered it. Her hands paused in their
task, absentmindedly stroking a red silk button down shirt. These
were
his
things. Her
father’s
belongings. Each of them he’d
packed with care, probably days, if not hours before his death.
She couldn’t breathe and suddenly Leviathan was over her,
leaning his strong chest against her back and bracing his arms on
either side of hers. She could sense his hesitation, and knew
instinctively he didn’t know what he could say to make her feel
better, but she was thankful for his presence. That alone gave her
the strength and comfort she needed. Kailani chuckled bitterly. A
demon offering comfort, how ironic was that? “More ironic than
you know.” He breathed against her throat and she shivered.
“Rule breaker.”
“So says the one who tempts me to break the rules. Who’s worse,
the sinner or the one who leads him into temptation?” She bit her
bottom lip as he ground his hips against hers, agonizingly slow.
With a little growl of frustration she pushed him off of her,
snatching up one of her fathers shirts and handing it to him.
“Get dressed and stop being a bastard.” She ignored his smug
grin as she turned and stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the
door behind her.
“There are three circling your vehicle but I can
sense others nearby. They’re translucent, barely visible even to
my eyes.” Leviathan said as he stood near the window, his body
flat against the wall as he stealthily peered through the gauzy
curtains into the sparkling sunlight beyond. His silver eyes were
alight with eagerness, glowing with hunger as he awaited the
perfect moment to spring into action. He was itching for a fight,
craving the feel of something succumbing to his superior
strength. He once lived for moments like these, for the bloodshed
and carnage that came along with being a demon. Kailani, who
carefully hid her repulsion for his kind, moved around the
cottage, turning off all the lights as she’d been instructed, her
hands trembling as she finally moved to stand near him. She wore
a black bag on her back, filled with clothing and other necessities
for her trip. She’d packed lightly, not because she’d been told to
but because she honestly didn’t think she’d be surviving any of
this. Call her a pessimist but she was up against forces she knew
nothing about, with a less than willing demon as her guide and
protector. Soon everything would blow up in their faces and
leave her utterly devastated. She was willing to bet on it. “You
worry too much.” Leviathan snaked an arm around her waist,
moving them both towards the door with a twisted, almost
childlike glee in his eyes. He snatched open the door suddenly
and like a flood all the air around them poured from the cottage,
spilling onto the lawn where the creatures were waiting to suck it
all up. The demons shrieked, their mouths dropping open as they
inhaled deeply, drawing in the power they’d just released. One by
one their images seemed to pop, shifting from semitransparent
shadows to gray cast monsters with glowing red eyes. Leviathan
snapped into action, shoving her down the front stairs towards the
driveway as the demons rushed them, their teeth and claws
gleaming like steal in the sunlight. With a snarl of his own he
dodged their attacks, his body expertly twisting and turning,
spinning through the air with inhuman speed. He returned their
assault with his own, ripping into them with his bare hands until
they could do nothing but scream helplessly. They came at him
from all sides, swarming him from the lawn and the roof, piling
on top of him until he felt like he was drowning. With a laugh a
surge of energy pulsated from him, blowing most of them fifty
feet in all directions. The ones who’d managed to hold on
severely regretted it as he spun on them, grabbing one by the
