Evil is... (Once a Demon Book 2)

by P. S. Power

  That part would be interesting to try and sell. Really, she’d just have to take control of the officer’s mind to prevent arrest. It was inside of her skill set, if not the kind of thing she did all the time. Traditionally she would have just taken them as a slave if anyone bothered her that way. Really, if it happened inside Sparks or the surrounding area, it would probably be one of her old slaves writing the ticket.

  Instead of risking their freedom, she was just careful and parked in front of the store in her beaten up looking plum colored jalopy. The one that sounded an awful lot like a race car, if you knew what to listen for. Which reminded her to take a look at Will’s car, when she got a chance.

  She had the tools and skills to fix it, before trouble really started. Not doing it would be the opposite of being a team player, she had to think. Besides, she had a lot of time to fill during the day.

  Grabbing a metal cart, making sure to pick one that wasn’t going to squeak at her the whole time or pull aggressively to one side or the other as she walked around the store.

  The list in her head was simple enough, really. It was essentially going to be pasta with sautéed veggies, cheesy garlic bread and several dessert options. A few of the people there, like herself, Calley and Ty would need a lot of food. That meant she had a mainly filled cart that was for a single meal, by the time she got to the line that Ravi, her new boyfriend, was running as a cashier.

  She nearly laughed out loud at the idea of him being her boyfriend already. It wasn’t true and sounded a bit like something that Ann, the ex-demon would have said. Then, that particular lady was purely insane. Or at least she had been. Now that they weren’t Greater Demons, that part didn't really have to hold. In fact, several of the more odd of her kind had simply stopped being that way totally, moving toward being far more normal. A state that probably meant they’d never been insane at all, only faking it, in order to control how the others interacted with them.

  Which might also mean that she could pretend that Ravi was simply going to like her well enough to go out with, without any proof. It really was likely, of course. She looked cute enough and if she wanted to throw herself at him, the man was going to respond. His hormones wouldn’t allow him to do anything else. He wasn’t religious or anything, so his moral code wasn’t going to force him to feel guilty about it either, which was a good thing, in her book.

  As he looked up at her, the dark-skinned man, who was probably twenty-five or so, smiled at her, hugely. His blue work shirt was ugly, without being truly horrible. His dark hair and brown eyes were nice, though his face was a trifle long. A sign that his mother hadn’t produced a vast amount of testosterone when he was in the womb.

  There were plusses and minuses to that kind of thing. A high testosterone natal condition led to men who were slightly more aggressive, tended to be physically more capable and who were kinder toward women. The men that didn't have that, which was about eighty percent of them, were often a lot more creative and wouldn’t cheat on a woman as easily as the other kind of guy.

  They also tended to be followers, which was also a positive. Nothing was more annoying than a person that thought they should be in charge when they lacked the skills to really do it, after all. Clearly, if she was in a relationship with a Human, they needed to be comfortable with the idea that she and not them, was the boss and high chieftain.

  The store clerk was good enough looking for all that. Really, he was probably a nice solid six, without makeup or anything. Given that men weren’t allowed to use that kind of thing without being involved in some kind of artistic production, that wasn’t bad at all. If she got him in a chair with a half decent supply kit, she could pretty easily turn him into an eight.

  Bente, the demon previously known as the Pristine, could have made him look like a ten. Then, she could probably start with a one and make them into a ten as well. The woman had mad skills that way.

  Smiling, Keeley nodded at the man a bit. After all, she could have made him look like a ten as well, without using makeup, just by changing his shape a bit. It was probably a perk of dating her now, she had to imagine. That or being her friend. She was, she decided, going to be cool that way. As a Greater Demon, helping people just to be nice had been kind of forbidden. At least if you didn’t want to end up in a cage, being raped by a family member.

  Now it seemed like a good way to make friends and influence people.

  Smiling enough to prove she had dimples, she locked eyes with Ravi for a moment.

  “Hello!”

  He responded easily enough, smiling back.

  “How are you doing today? Did you find everything you need?”

  She nodded. That was the standard line that got used when you spoke to a cashier. Mainly so they didn't have to think too much about what to say to each person.

  “Nearly. I was also going to take you up on that offer to go to coffee and talk?” She waved at herself, which got him to look at her, slightly shocked. “I changed my look since we met. About a month ago. Um… Dark alley, girl floating from the roof top above… Dark shadows coming for you? Good, happy times for all involved?” There was more than that, though not a lot.

  Rather than scream at her, the man went a bit wide eyed and nodded.

  “Yeah? That… I like the new look! It’s incredible. Um… Sure? I get off work at four, if you want?” He looked hopeful.

  She shook her head a bit.

  “Not tonight. I have to go and cook this. A dinner meeting with the head of the Coalition of Nations… Unless… Do you want to come? It’s not exactly coffee and an intimate chat, but there should be room for you there. I mean, I’m making the food, so I know there will be enough.”

  It was enough of a change up that the man stopped ringing her up for a moment, then he shrugged and got back to work. Speaking while he did it.

  “Sounds fun. What do I wear? That seems sort of fancy.”

  She shook her head.

  “Not really. Toss on a suit jacket and maybe a button up shirt and you should be fine. Really, a t-shirt would work too but if it’s a date you should at least try to impress me a little. I’m going to change for it… Or, possibly not.” She meant her face. If she went in with Ravi though, it wouldn’t scare anyone that she didn't have one of her other looks going on. It would just seem like she was dressed up for her date. Which would literally be the case.

  Ravi looked at her clothing and nodded, his gaze lingering on her chest, which was no bigger than what she’d had going on for years. Except that the rest of her was smaller, making that part seem vast now, in comparison. To his credit he didn’t stare at her there for far too long or anything, getting back to work as another woman pushed a half-filled cart up behind Keeley.

  “Well, I can do that, at least if I artfully hide a few mustard stains. Where do I go for that? I… don’t really have a car. I can call a cab? That or an Uber.” There was no cringing at the words, even though a powerful thought came off of the man in front of her.

  That she wasn’t going to be interested in him if he didn't have a car of his own. A thing that was pretty common for men in his age range. A lot of them didn’t drive at all, it not being that common for his generation. Having a car meant large payments, which could be hard to come up with at the moment. Instead of risking his cash towards a car that might be taken back if he he lost one of his jobs, Ravi had been saving up.

  To start a business of his own. A thing he hadn’t decided on yet, even while planning for it, as part of a long term effort to not totally waste his life.

  Which meant he was living with his brother and his young family, staying in a little room that was really the back porch of a tiny house. A double wide that was within walking distance of the store.

  It was a complex thought and while not exactly devoted to world saving technologies or mathematical principles, it showed that he was both self-aware and a good bit smarter than Keeley had figured him as being. Probably in the genius range.

  That was abou
t the quality of the thought itself, rather than the subject matter.

  Writing while her produce was being rung up, she passed a small piece of paper with instructions on it, leading him to the correct mansion. Instead of letting that part be a surprise, she grinned at the man. Otherwise he’d probably pull up and then tell the driver to take him away, feeling like he’d been tricked.

  “This is… Well, I own the place. It’s nice. You know, like we talked about before?” She didn't want to scream about being different in the line, mainly because her new friend was going to have to stay there after she was gone.

  Showing that he really was smart, he nodded, actually getting her point. Most people wouldn’t have, taking it from context.

  A thing he showed mastery of by speaking of it, in what was nearly a code. There was a bit of over acting to it, so no one would be confused that it was happening at the time if they saw it. Most of them would assume they were discussing sex, which worked well enough for Keeley.

  “Wise of you, then. You know, I looked that up. What you said about Wise Ones and Ancient Greece. There are some things on line…”

  She nodded, not bothering to silence him. If he said the word demon out loud, most of the others in the store wouldn’t think he meant her at all. If he called her that, it would probably seem like name calling or simple teasing. Even with the veil being down, no one really figured that demons were going to be showing up, day to day, in the grocery store. They were correct, so far.

  After all, the Greater Demons had nearly all quit, as of the last count. Of the five hundred and thirty-two that could be found, four hundred and eighty had thrown in with the idea that they weren’t demons any longer. Most of the remainder had, or so she’d been told, decided that the others could do what they wanted, without a war starting over the whole thing. Meaning there were only a handful of Greater Demons that were holding to the old ways.

  In the whole world there were only twenty to thirty beings that would actually answer to being a Greater Demon in public at all, now.

  On the good side, her new boyfriend didn’t have an issue with doing a bit of research.

  Meaning he wasn’t going to be boring, since he could just look up new things to talk about, if that ever started to happen. She smiled at the idea, since it would probably involve an awful lot of trivia.

  “Neat. We can talk about that later, if you want? Show up a bit before seven. It will look better if you’re not the last one there.” This time she didn’t go out of her way to explain things to him. If they were going to hang out, he needed to make certain not to be late all the time. That one was a deal breaker for her.

  She was far too busy to wait around for other people when it wasn’t needed.

  While they were speaking, a woman who worked there walked over to help bag her purchases up. She was thin, in a slightly drugged looking way. Her hair was dark and she was old enough looking, being about forty, that the lady probably wasn’t going to think that Keeley was stealing her work boyfriend. Not consciously. It was clear that the lady was a bit too interested in what was being spoken of at the moment. Not the part about Wise Ones, as much as Ravi going off to dinner with a woman who was shopping there.

  Instead of asking about it, the woman, whose name tag claimed her name was Rhonda, smiled at Keeley, waving to the loaded cart. Trying to get rid of her, so she could needle Ravi about things that included her.

  “Have a great day!”

  Her thoughts were actually a good bit more snarky than were strictly warranted. Also, slightly projected. Keeley didn’t have to focus too much to pick up on what was happening for the woman, internally. Unlike with Ravi, her thoughts were simple, a bit broken in places and fuzzy enough to show that she wasn’t going to be getting an invitation to join Mensa any time soon. That was most people and not a huge sin in life.

  It was interesting to see what she was thinking, however. The first portion was a plan to tease Ravi about the hot girl that had come through. One that might be too young for him, based on her size. A thing that was clearly not true at all. After all, Keeley was shopping for food, not haunting a mall food court. The second thought that crept out was unreasonable jealousy. There was nothing in particular wrong with Keeley that could be used to help Rhonda feel better about herself and even being small, with a huge bustline, she was very attractive.

  That the lady sort of wanted to take a shot at both Ravi and Keeley then, after realizing all of that, was different. A thing that wasn’t going to work, either. Not for Keels, since her standards were high enough to exclude average looking women with little else to offer other than a warm tongue. She might make some time with Ravi, if the woman could figure out that she needed to be kind to him soon enough. After all, despite what she’d been saying in her head, the man wasn’t really Keeley’s boyfriend yet. They were only set for a first date, which hardly counted.

  Rhonda probably could have gotten him to head to the break room bathroom after work, if she played her cards right. Smart or not, Ravi was a young man. It didn’t take super human good looks to turn the head of that sort of person.

  Even as they aged, a lot of men never really learned a lot of self-control that way. So, the skinny woman, who wasn’t that special in any particular fashion, might be able to get some off of her coworker, if she tried hard enough. A thing that wasn’t going to be taking place that day. Keeley knew that one for certain, since Rhonda was getting off of work at three, a full hour before Ravi. She also didn’t really care that much about getting with the man. More, now, that someone else seemed to want him. That was just how a lot of people, particularly women, worked.

  His value had gone up, simply because Keeley was paying attention to him.

  The meal prep wasn’t going to take her all day, so instead of worrying about making a perfect meal, she went back home and looked at the time. A thing she could do, using the clock on the wall and that she didn’t need to, thanks to the one in her head that kept perfect time in most places.

  It was only about eleven in the morning still, which left about five hours before she needed to be off doing anything of note. Instead of sitting around and moping, she packed things into the fridge, if they needed to be kept cool and then made a meal for herself using food she already had on hand. Mainly a simple thing of cake, pie and things from cans. That killed about an hour.

  Then she went outside, to the edge of her property line and opened a rift that would take her directly to the node complex inside Westfield Mall, in Vancouver, Washington. Not that she needed to do any shopping there. Not for herself. There were some things to look into for Will though. In this case, trying to find a succubus for her boss to date.

  A thing that was trickier to work out than it seemed like. After all, the best way to get an Alede into bed was to suggest it. Rather bluntly. The issue of the moment was that Keeley wanted to try something a bit more interesting than that. Working out how to get Will into a real relationship with a woman, in a way that wouldn’t end after a few months, when it hit the Human that his idea of a relationship would never work with that kind of person. It wasn’t the only thing that would work or even the one that would be best for him. Just something interesting for her to work with and fill some time.

  They literally had to have sex several times a day, with multiple people, if they wanted to survive. A thing that wasn’t that high on the list of things most loved in a mate, for Human men and women. Most Alede made it even harder than it had to be, when it came to being with a constant partner, actually going to schools that taught them not to try to be too close to any one person. Feeding discipline was hard for that sort, but sex had to come first. Well before a relationship of any lasting merit.

  Several of them there wanted that kind of thing though. A real relationship that lasted longer than a few weeks or months. They just didn't have the skills for it. Except Kaitlyn, of course. She was, and had been, dating Eve Benson for nearly seven years. That was unheard of for a modern Alede. The kin
d of thing that was actually known in their system, having made the Alede news sites several times.

  Meaning the other Alede were starting to pick up on the whole thing en masse. Not all of them believed it to be a good thing either. A few suspected there might be some kind of enslavement going on. Of the Vampire Eve. Which wasn’t going to be happening. For her part, Eve was simply incredibly open minded, when it came to things around sex. Not as much as Keeley was, but it was still there.

  She came out into the back of the candle shop at Westfield Mall. Candles and More. Mainly because Zack’s place, down the way, was in constant use and it paid not to be stepped on, day to day. Across the way, at the frozen yogurt shop, the front was being manned, or rather, personed, by a biological male with long hair and a nametag that said her name was Karen. A regular Human that might be a bit put off by someone coming in through the back of the shop suddenly.

  Not that Keeley had planned that part of things out. Karen the Human wasn’t anyone that Keeley had met before. There was, when she checked, a bit of data on the being, in other peoples’ memories. Mainly due to the singular fact that xe worked at the Vampire embassy. As a yoghurt person. Other than wanting to be a different sex, or more to the point, be fluid as far as sex and gender went, xe simply had nothing going on for xer, besides the somewhat cool job.

  All of that information had been picked up in the half moment Keeley had stepped past the nothingness. Seeing and more importantly, feeling, most of what was going on in the mall, perceiving it as a single wave of data. Only for a single pulse in time. It was enough to readjust her focus over to the Mage embassy. The place she stood at the moment. In that place there were two whole people, which was busy for that particular location. Neither being was that well known to her. Lisa Penbroke was in her office, while the front was being manned by someone else.