“B, T, and A,” she replied without hesitation.
Gerry raised an eyebrow in interest and waited for her to continue.
“Brains.” She pointed to her head. “A lot of my kind focuses more on brawn. They don’t think long term, which is moronic since we’re immortal. Most just think about the next meal, but I’m different. I think about ways for us to improve the quality and quantity of our meals. I’ve created a distribution system with contingencies and compartmentalization. I’ve created an income system and advanced us into the twenty-first century. While others were busy sinking their fangs into some young pussy, I was busy building a sheltered empire away from human infringement.” Her grin was predatory. “And if anyone got in my way I took their head.”
“So that’s B. The others are T and A; tits and ass.” She gave herself a smack, cupped her chest, and gave him a wink. “No one looks at me and thinks Queen of the Bloodsuckers. That’s why I drag Alfred around with me. He looks the part.”
Alfred’s head bobbed from the front seat of the limo.
“Even in 2016 people still underestimate women. Those who live around here no better, but it gives me the element of surprise over any newcomer. And I’m quick.” With a blurred flourish Vicky produced twin daggers.
The weapons glinted in the moonlight showing how sharp and polished they were. It was nothing compared to the molecularly-honed blades Gerry was used to handling, but it was good for this plane of existence. Her hands blurred a second time and they were gone. Considering she wasn’t wearing much he wondered where she put them.
“Impressive.” He wasn’t being totally dishonest. “Bring me up to date on your numbers, assets, resources, and anything else I need to know.”
She hesitated, and he jumped at the opportunity.
“You say you are willing to serve. You want to be my lieutenant. Do you want to take your rightful place of power within this city?” He waited patiently for her to make up her mind.
“Yes,” she finally exhaled.
The words were true, and that brought a smile to his face. “So?”
“My coven had twenty-two members including myself. We live throughout the area, but are most concentrated in the entertainment district.”
“Entertainment?”
“Naturally, we run the nightlife in the city.” The pride in her voice was unmistakable. “We outright own more than half the clubs and bars in the city, and have a stake in most of the others. We try to keep it classy, and we aggressively enforce our own members.” She made a point of that.
Soulless were always unpredictable due to their feeding habits. Since their souls had been ripped from their bodies they could no longer hold the æther necessary for every living thing to survive. As a result they needed to feed off those who had æther, a.k.a. humans. People made the mistake of thinking they were drinking blood when in fact they were drinking life.
“Through our ventures we are able to maintain a regular rotation of donors. Some know what we are and want to be like us. Pop culture has helped us out a lot there in the last few decades. Others think we have a fetish they share. Others are just so hungover they think they got drunk and someone gave them a hickey.”
Despite what people thought, the Soulless didn’t leave puncture wounds if they didn’t want to.
“We also control the drug scene in our clubs. Eliminating the enhancements all together is unreasonable and unprofitable, so instead we regulate it. We ensure the product is high quality, the dealer is reputable, and we charge a premium. Humans know they can come to our clubs, get high, and not worry about baking soda getting mixed into their cocaine.”
The way she shrugged told Gerry she couldn’t care less about a human overdosing. What she cared about was her club’s profitability and reputation.
“On top of the club scene, we’ve got a decent stake in the local escort business. Not as large as I want, but enough to get our foot in the door of any big occasion in town. It also allows me to look after the girls.”
Something deeper than truth echoed in those words. It was the opposite of a lie. It was complete sincerity.
Knowing the weakness of your allies along with your enemies was just good strategy.
“Being involved in the legitimate, semi-legitimate, and outright criminal enterprises also enables us to keep an eye on the local PD.” She motioned to flashing blue lights heading in the opposite direction.
Probably toward the homicide Gerry had felt.
“We’re able to play both side of the law. We rake in the money from our less than legal endeavors, provide information when it benefits us, and establish solid CI covers. We throw them a bone on our own assets every once and a while to avoid suspicion, but it’s usually when someone has gotten too greedy or put their dick where it didn’t belong.” She sat back to judge his reaction.
He couldn’t do anything but nod. Vicky and her twenty-one strong coven had cornered the market.
“Anything else?”
There was only a nano-second of hesitation this time.
“We’ve got the local chapter of the Hell’s Angels in our pocket. They run protection for a lot of our operations, and we only call in one of my coven if it’s something big or someone from our neck of the woods is stepping onto our turf.”
“What’s the greatest threat to your turf?”
His question surprised her. Gerry didn’t know anything about the last Dux, but they guy apparently didn’t manage his resources well. Letting your subordinates know you valued what they valued, especially when they were already trained and organized to this degree, was basic leadership.
“Truthfully,” she sighed, like what she was about to say sounded silly. “Our biggest rivals are the Lycans just south of town.”
Now he understood her timidity. There was nothing more stereotypical than the mainstream vampire-werewolf vendetta. In reality, there wasn’t some big blood feud or century’s long conflict. It was simple. They were both creatures of the night, and they fought over the same real-estate. They were also created by different Lords of Hell.
The Soulless were Satan’s creation, and the Lycans were Belial’s, The Duke of Damnation. Unfortunately, from what Gerry had heard, Belial didn’t have a creative bone in his body. If his body even had bones. Belial just copied Satan’s curse and tweaked it to his own liking. The result was the Lycans.
Unlike the Soulless, Lycans retained their souls except during the full moon. Under the full moon their souls were locked away, feeding their gathered æther to Belial. As a result, the Lycans transformed from their human form to their wolf form and normally went on a bloody rampage. Older Lycans were able to control their urges more, but it took a lot of practice. They still suffered from the same casualty rates as the Soulless when the curse took hold, and they tended to die off even quicker; because everyone came together to kill creatures who were rampaging through civilization.
For all that, they only got mediocre rewards. Their strength and speed were two, maybe three times human normal, and they lost it all during the day.
“There are two packs that we know of. One is more feral and stays in the woods between Charlotte and Columbia. The other is more organized and operates out of Rock Hill. They like to harass our distributors and raid our stash houses. It’s nothing we can’t deal with in time,” she hurriedly added, not wanting to sound week in front of the Dux. “But they are a thorn in my ass sometimes.”
“And we don’t want a thorn in that beautiful ass of yours now do we?” Gerry grinned. “We’ll deal with the Lycans soon, but I believe we have arrived.”
Gerry looked through his second sight at t
he high-rise building they’d stopped in front of. It was a fancy hotel right on the corner of a busy intersection. It was maybe ten stories tall, made of an old-fashioned looking brick, and had an ornate awning above the front door. On the surface it looked like an upscale, respectable business establishment, but beneath the veneer were layers and layers of wards.
Gerry didn’t understand them all. He was a warrior not a scholar, but he could see the basics. Most were simple ones to protect the occupants from eavesdropping and other modern methods of surveillance. Some drove people away who didn’t have a need to be there, but the most intriguing were the wards that hid the wards from all but Infernal eyes.
Gerry looked at the tortured language of the angels and understood a bit more of its power.
“This is where we’ve been instructed to bring you.” Vicky looked out the window and clearly didn’t see what he was seeing. “Please call if you need anything, anything at all. We’re here to do you bidding, Dux.”
“Don’t play submissive, Vicky.” Gerry chided her. “It’s not your style,” he softened the blow with a grin. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
He gave her a farewell nod and exited the car. Once the door was shut they drove away and left him alone on the sidewalk. But he was never alone.
Aether drifted everywhere around him. The woman that gave him a wide berth was suspicious of her boyfriend. He had too many friends who were girls, and she was convinced he was cheating on her.
A man walked by in the opposite direction and looked back at the same woman, particularly at her butt. He lusted for that ass.
Gerry felt it all, and all of it gave him power.
“Sir, can I help you?” The doorman asked politely.
The quick look around showed Gerry that he was not dressed for this place. He was wearing a black track suit that strained to contain his human bulk. Everyone else was dressed in suits or at the very least business casual. He didn’t look like he belonged.
“I’ve got this, Timothy.” A rich, cultured voice spoke from the doorway.
A handsome man walked out of the entrance sharply dressed in a three-piece suit. But that was the veneer he presented to the world. Beneath it was a man covered with scars, but still a man who held his chin high with pride. The glow of hellfire could be detected behind his kind green eyes, and a crown of horns encircled his head.
There was no mistaking that this man was a demon.
“Dux.” The man whispered while nodding his head. It was clear he wanted to bow lower, but it would draw too much attention from the nearby humans. “Please follow me to your Demesne. Everyone is waiting.”
Gerry didn’t hear any lies in his statement, so he nodded. “Lead the way.”
Demesne
The lobby of the building was tastefully decorated. It made Gerry look even more out of place. The black track suit was really killing him.
The demon walking to the left and slightly behind him seemed to feel his unease. “There is proper attire in your demesne, Dux. Please forgive the Soulless, their dress code leans toward the casual and their taste in color tends to be monochromatic.”
“Understood.” Gerry kept his reply terse and to the point.
He didn’t know this demon, and even if the man was deferring to Gerry’s new position it was common in infernal culture to stab a person in the back and then cut out their heart. For all Gerry knew, that’s what happened to the last Dux.
“What’s your name?” It was the obvious question to ask.
“I am Jedidiah DuCane, my Dux. But everyone calls me Jeb.” He bowed his head again, this time a little lower than before.
“And what are you, Jeb?”
The question brought a small smile to the lesser demon’s lips.
“I am a demon of the First Choir, my Dux.” He clearly took pride in what he was.
Gerry knew of the various choirs of demons. There was more variety in other kingdoms. Prince Seere’s kingdom called the souls of warriors to his hall without discriminating by any particular choir. If Gerry was asked this same question before his transformation into a Dux, he would have been a member of the Third Choir, the Choir of Wrath.
The First Choir was the Choir of Greed, and if Jeb’s powers worked similarly to Gerry’s then he fed of the greed of the humans around him.
“I am an executive vice president of finance at a bank here in Charlotte,” Jeb continued. “My latest success has been having my human underlings open fake accounts for people to meet quotas.” His smile was sinister, stretching the skin of his face taut until it looked like it would rip. “They took to it like babes to the bottle, and we have reaped the rewards.
They reached the elevator after attracting quite a few stares. An operator, in a cleanly pressed suit with the hotel’s logo on it, nodded to Jeb and hit the button for the top floor. The elevator had gold-plated paneling and polished mirrors. The operator kept his head bowed as they climbed, but Gerry didn’t sense any infernal influence over the man.
“Many serve us.” Jeb informed, gesturing to the operator. “Anyone trying to get to your penthouse without approval will only do so over his dead body.”
“Yes.” The man practically prostrated himself on the ground when he realized Jeb was deferring to Gerry.
“Get up.” Gerry sighed, motioning with his hand. “If anyone is trying to kill me you can’t be groveling on the ground every time you see me. I need you alert.”
“Yes, Master.” The man replied breathlessly. Apparently, he wasn’t used to being addressed by the boss.
The ride was swift, and the elevator eased to a stop so silently that Gerry wouldn’t have felt it if he wasn’t paying attention. Jeb was playing the role of the docile helper well, but that didn’t mean an ambush couldn’t be waiting on the other side of the door.
Old Gerald wouldn’t have sat there calmly and waited for the doors to open. Old Gerald would have removed Jeb’s head from his shoulders and used the elevator operator as a human shield. Old Gerald didn’t put much stock in humanity’s usefulness, or even lesser demon’s usefulness.
When the doors did open there was no ambush, but what Gerry did see was horrible.
The decor was atrocious.
The carpet was a lime green shag. A reflective ball rotated from the ceiling and threw specks of light around the room. The furniture, colors, and furnishings violently assaulted his senses to the point he didn’t want to get off the elevator.
“What the fuck is this?” Gerry’s exploded.
“This is your demesne.” Jeb kept his head low, while the elevator operator fell to his knees.
“This is not mine.” Gerry disagreed while shaking his head.
“The former Dux arrived in Eden almost half a century ago. This was the popular style at the time, and he grew fond of it. It is by no means fixed.” Jeb quickly added. “Once you perform the ceremony you will link with the demesne. You will become one. It is a piece of land that will become yours in every facet of the word’s meaning. You will be able to manipulate the æther as effortlessly as moving your own limbs. The demesne will become an extension of you. You will be able to change it with a thought.”
“Stay.” He commanded Jeb as he moved to exit the elevator.
He stepped forward and felt resistance. The demesne of the old Dux fought against him. It was a quick struggle. The old Dux was dead and gone, exiled back to Hell. The demesne was weak as a result and ready for a new master. For a moment, Gerry wondered just how hard Jeb had tried to enter the demesne before Gerry showed up as the next Dux.
With a heave and a grunt Gerry pushed himself through the invisible barrier and into the demesne. His vision wobbled as he exerted his will with
a mental thrust powered by his internal supply of æther. What remained of the old Dux’s influence on this plain of existence visibly shuddered as the ceremony began.
A knife with a black blade condensed out of thin air and fell into his waiting hand. He made a shallow slice across his palm like Prince Seere had before offering his own blood to transform Gerry. He squeezed his fist tightly and leaked his life-essence onto the shag.
The effect was immediate.
Gerry felt the demesne open like a giant metaphysical maw and swallow him whole. He felt it weave itself into his very existence, while the remaining power contained within the pocket of reality became his completely. He used some of that power to immediately make changes. The carpet disappeared like sand blown away by a gust of wind. It was replaced by polished, hardwood floors. The disco ball became a crystal chandelier. The furniture, which looked like someone had vomited the rainbow all over the room, shuddered and morphed into something from the timeframe when Gerry last walked the earth.
With a final shift the changes settled and Gerry felt the demesne settle back into place as his demesne. He had been a Dux in name only until that moment. This was what truly made him powerful in this world. There was potential here. Power flowed into the demesne as the city around it roiled with humanity’s primal passions, emotions, and sins.
Gerry let out a deep breath and flexed his muscles. For the first time in his memory he felt whole.
“Dux.” Jeb had gone to one knee in the elevator. “Let me summon your lieutenants so we can prepare to take this city for our Prince.”
“Yes.” Gerry nodded, only half paying attention to the demon. “Make sure Vicky is included in that summons.”
“Vicky?”
“Victoria. The leader of the Soulless. We are going to need everyone to accomplish what I have in mind.”
“Yes, Dux.” Jeb kept his head low as the elevator door closed.
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