It was going to go crazy, crazier? Regardless, I was going to lose it if I was stuck with only my thoughts today, normally I’d read and study my spell book as a distraction, but I couldn’t possibly do that while I was driving.
I had a thought. Maybe I could after all.
My duffel bag was in the back, and I reached back and pulled out my magic book on magic, and dropped it on the floor in the passenger side. Then I used the spell that would make the demon bound to the book appear.
She was a demoness, so her body was ripe, and her face was stunning, and she had long raven black hair. She was also truly evil, unlike fallen angels who could still feel the full range of emotions, this demoness was truly hell spawn, and pure evil. Despite her incredibly beauty, I was unaffected by it. Mostly unaffected, I was just a young man after all, but I wasn’t going to use a sexy evil demon to get off, no thanks.
“Clothes, now.”
I saw her pout at me from the corner of my eyes, but she was bound to obey me, and not to act seductive toward me. Which helped, because she was still a succubus. A surge of shadows surrounded her, and she was wearing a slutty red mini-dress when they faded. Okay, maybe I should have been more specific, but at least I won’t be arrested if a cop sees us drive by.
“I was reading a book on infernal divination last.”
She said in a smoky hot voice, “Yes master, I remember.”
Technically, I only had to bring her out to read new books, and incorporate the information. I could order her to display the book I was reading, and ask her a question about something while she was still inside the book. She would display it in the pages, but that wouldn’t help me while I was driving. It occurred to me though, that she could read it to me, and even reference other works to explain something I didn’t understand, all while I drove. Of course, to read to me she had to have a body, the book itself couldn’t talk, only display text answers written in its pages.
Which is why I summoned her out of the book.
Like listening to an audio-book. Except with magic instead of MP3s, and with a sexy voice from a hot body. All wonderful distractions, so I didn’t have to brood over my angel all day.
My angel? Damn, I was so screwed.
“Very well Shar, pick up where I left off please.”
Actually, the evil succubus I bound to the book and my service was named Sharthine, but I called her Shar for short. She didn’t seem to mind.
“You want me to read to you master?”
“Yes Shar, is that a problem?”
Shar said throatily, “No master, I’m here for all your needs and desires.”
I ignored that, and thankfully the sex demoness started to read at that point. Her voice was a bit distracting at first, but it was what the doctor ordered, and I knew I’d never be tempted to sleep with her, despite how… seductive she was, even when she wasn’t even trying.
It also allowed me to focus on learning more about magic, instead of dark blue eyes, and a voice a thousand times sexier to my ears than Shar’s could ever be…
Chapter Eight – Portia
The bed was warm, and it was quiet with the morning sun shining in my bedroom window, except for the slight breathy gasps falling from my lips as I sought relief.
I bit my lip, and arched my back, as the lightning bolt of pleasure raced though my body, as the small fingertip vibrator touched my sensitive nub, and I curled the fingers of my other hand as I fed them between my hot wet labia. I was concentrating hard on the pleasure and euphoria building in my body, searching for release and not finding it. I was so high, and so close, but I couldn’t find the release I sought.
Until warm hazel eyes, and a strong handsome masculine face entered my mind’s eye, and my lungs exploded in a breathy gasp of pleasure as I was thrown over the cliff into bliss. I was lost in the pleasure, even as I was conflicted by its trigger, and the intensity of ecstasy as my core clenched and convulsed around my fingers. I pulled my other fingertip away, the pleasure of the vibrations far too intense on my over-sensitive clit. I gasped for breath, and started to come down from my height.
I was hardly an innocent, and masturbation was a necessary release, had been one for Millennia, just one more thing in addition to others that helped me keep my sanity in this life mission I’d been given, and prevented me from giving into the temptation to break the rules.
But I hadn’t had an orgasm that powerful in years. I bit my lip, and wondered just how powerful it would have been if the originator of those desires and pleasures had been present to share it. I was a hot mess, and was undoubtedly crazy. Apparently, all the things that I clung to, to keep me sane in my loneliness and false hope for a true mate, had failed. The mission I loved, the small town of rogues that were like children to me, and finding release in times of temptation.
Despite the release, I still felt a needy desire, perhaps even more so. I shook my head in denial, it made no sense, he was a Nephilim, and no matter how sexy he was, or what feelings he’d evoked in me, it would be a mistake. It was just superficial and base attraction. He was probably an asshole.
A little voice deep inside me called me a liar, and I recalled once again the deep compassion he’d felt for that strange woman, the righteous anger he’d felt at the sick twisted vampire. Yes, a lot of it was superficial, but I did know some few things about him, that drew me as well. Then there was the other truth, he was one among a very few I could be with at all. An immortal, and one I could not only date, but share everything with, without violating the rules, without falling.
I could have given it a chance, but I’d spooked, and ran away. It seemed ridiculous that I’d do something like that, but the idea of dating a Nephilim was so foreign and unbelievable, my mind had rebelled. I might have been old, but it had been a new situation.
I shook my head, it was too late to change my mind, even if I wanted to. I’d never gotten his name, and he’d be long gone from the motel. I knew how to track rogues, but I had no clue what city he was from, or what community. I couldn’t track him unless he left me a trail of bodies, sad but true.
I knew one thing, my plan to relax for three days and recharge was completely blown, I couldn’t relax or get him out of my mind, what I needed was work, a distraction. I got out of bed, and then formed and released several spells at once. I was cleaned up, hair pinned up, light makeup, and wearing a gray pencil skirt, with a light blue sweater shirt, and a pair of black two inch heels.
I looked in the mirror over my dresser, and smiled.
I lost my smile a second later, when I wondered if he’d like the way I was dressed. I was certifiable this morning. It really was too late, I’d never see him again, if I could only convince my neglected heart and libido of that fact I’d be doing a lot better. Still, distraction was the plan.
I teleported to D.C. and walked a couple of blocks to the FBI building. I could go directly there, but they have cameras all over the place, I’d decided long ago even the humans weren’t that clueless, they’d notice if I never left or came in, and was just there and gone.
I don’t mean stupid, humans were never that, just stubbornly clueless about a few things. They didn’t want to believe in the supernatural, which meant they’d do mental gymnastics to dismiss all the obvious but still circumstantial proof. Up to and including inventing alien conspiracies. Although… I supposed some of those were true as well, since technically the Fae were from another Earth in a parallel dimension, which made them aliens.
Fae didn’t really look alien though, they were thinner than most humans, willowy, but not so much that they weren’t just thought of as thin, tall, and strikingly or exotically attractive humans. Their hair ranged from platinum to ash blonde as a rule, which also wasn’t a deal breaker. Their eyes came in mostly human shades as well, gray, green, and ochre or brown amber. Really, they were humans, just from another dimension, which happened to have Fae magic, which was green and rooted in life.
Of course, there were always exceptions to ev
ery rule, which is why I always needed to get rid of any real evidence, and where mind spells and compulsion came in handy.
I walked inside and made my way to the cubicle, proud I’d managed at least a couple of minutes without thinking of the sexy be damned Nephilim, until now that is. I sat down and started to bring up my search results, the search engine I created constantly mined the new data as it came in from police stations across the country, as well as FBI cases.
Only one result since yesterday morning, and it wasn’t a pattern, just a single incident, but it still caught my eye. Piedmont, Alabama. Tiny town of less than five thousand in a rural area. Plenty of hills and areas for a shifter to hide. It didn’t have an official supernatural presence, too small, so I couldn’t depend on any locals in dealing with the problem. The crime itself was reported as an animal attack. Supposedly, a bear broke into a home, and slaughtered a family of five. I’d lay odds it was a bear shifter rogue. Plus, it was something to do, even if I was wrong. It’d happened just last night, so there should be residual shifter magic at the home and on the corpses if it became necessary to check.
I minimized the search, and was about to lock my station and stand up, when one of my other apps gave me pause. I double clicked and opened the facial recognition generator, and started to mess around with it. The eyes were easiest, warm hazel, and his jaw was strong. It took me a minute to get his lips and cheekbones right, and then I made a few tweaks, slightly darker skin, smaller nose, and light brown hair. I sighed when I caught myself staring at his picture for too long, I was such an idiot. I hit the button to run a nationwide facial recognition search. I doubted he was in the system, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, and it was possible I’d pick up one of his relatives. It was more than possible even, that I’d get him on one of the DMV searches, chances were that he did have a driver’s license, or maybe a state ID if he flew everywhere. Even if he was in the system, most likely it would take hours, if not over a day, to find matches. There’d be a lot of them as well to go through when I got back.
What would I do if I found him? Show up for that date?
Ridiculous… except, my whole body tingled at the thought.
I minimized both searches, stood up, and headed for the door, and Piedmont. I hadn’t been there for many years, but I never forgot a teleport site.
I cast the concealment spells before I released my wings and took to the air. The first place I went was the address for the house where the attack took place. Once I verified there was a rogue bear shifter in the area killing humans, I started a standard search grid and worked my way out. It was entirely possible the shifter had fled the area already, but if they were still here I was determined to find, and end, whoever did this…
Chapter Nine – Jason
Infernal divination was of limited use, but I supposed it was good to know. Since the book was written by a warlock, it seemed mostly focused on using divination to find morals of dubious character who were willing to gamble with, or outright sell their souls, something I wasn’t interested in at all, but there were other obvious applications that could be useful.
Ironically enough, as my mother’s son and with a direct connection to the infernal, I could deal for souls directly, but what the hell would I do with them? Human souls were powerful, and they granted the demons in control of them power and authority in hell, the more souls the larger the demesne they’d control, and the more powerful they’d be. But here on the mortal plane where I would live out my immortal life, until I was killed, I didn’t see the point. Which was a good thing in my opinion. I was powerful enough, the last thing I needed to do was allow my ambitions to run amuck, and to turn into an evil asshole.
The book was explicit enough at least, to explain what words in the spell needed to be modified for what situation in several examples, enough to figure it out for other things. What it came down to, was it could be used to ferret out information, or to find things.
I was in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, about an hour from the city which was shifter territory, and it was almost ten at night. Although, rural might be a better description. I’d banished Shar about an hour ago the last time I’d stopped, and had been considering and integrating what she’d taught me throughout the day. All in all, it had been a successful distraction, or at least, I’d only thought about the angel about a hundred times, and only briefly.
Although, that would change when my mind was at rest, I still had the urge to show up in Sanctuary and resume our conversation. Self-rebuking myself as a stalker wasn’t helping either, although if I was truly a stalker I’d have gone already. Regardless, I was obviously crazy.
My navigation app had me pulling into a long driveway which led to a small mansion. I’d guess it was about four thousand square feet, maybe six to eight bedrooms. It was isolated, and would be impossible to see from the road, and there were trees all over the place as well as a lake in the backyard. It was nice, but not really what I’d been expecting for my grandfather’s house. I was pretty sure his place was closer to the city, and I wished I’d asked more questions before leaving my home. I’d just taken the address and left.
The place was heavily warded, so heavily I couldn’t get a sense of anyone in the house at all. The house itself looked split leveled five times, the bottom level in the back was lower on the side of a hill that went down to the water. The front first floor was a dark brown siding, I couldn’t see the next split level in the back from the angle I was standing at. The next level in the front was all smoked one way glass, and then I could see another level in the back on top of that. So… the house was three stories in the back, and two in the front, it looked very nice.
I reached in the back of the car and grabbed my duffel bag, closed and locked the car, and went to knock on the door. I waited for several minutes, and had just about decided to teleport home and come back in the morning, when the door opened.
My grandmother looked to be my age, since she was immortal too, and had long raven black straight hair, piercing green eyes, a pretty face, and an athletic body. It wasn’t weird for me though, since I was very much used to my relatives looking too young and beautiful.
“Come on in, I’ll show you to your room, then I want to see what I have to work with.”
Right, fourteen-hour drive, and straight to a sword fight.
The entry room had a high ceiling, and what looked like a coat rack. The flooring was wood, and to the right was a spacious living room, and to the left was a large formal dining room. Straight ahead, there were a half flight of stairs going down, and also one going up. Now that we were inside, within the wards, I could tell it was just the two of us.
“Where is everyone?”
Korinna said, “Chicago. Your grandfather is about as paranoid as your father is. He doesn’t let anyone in the main house, except his direct children, and people he has a pact with. We all thought using the house out in the country would be better than the awkwardness that would cause. Mostly, it’s because of Liliana’s and Malina’s insistence that things are that way, they’re paranoid about his safety, and his mansion is the one place he can relax and not worry about betrayal. Your aunts, uncles, and cousins all plan on coming out to visit the next few days, probably around dinner. Plus, it will keep you free from distractions.”
Right, free from distractions.
“So, this is the country house?”
Korinna nodded, “You know your grandfather is mated to two cat shifters, granted his estate isn’t tiny on the North side of Chicago, but shifters need more room to run sometimes.”
Korinna gestured, “Downstairs is the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and storage. This floor has the living room and dining room, which I’m sure you noticed. The next level up is six bedrooms and two baths. The next level up is a workout room, which we’ll be using shortly. The final level is the master bedroom, please don’t go up there, at all.”
I nodded, “Of course.”
Korinna said, “Outside of the other
bedrooms, the entire house is open for your use when we aren’t training, make yourself at home here.”
“Thanks.”
Korinna nodded sharply, and I followed her up the stairs and to the right, she waved me into one of the rooms, and I dropped my duffel bag onto the bed. It looked like a typical guest room, neutral colors, although the furniture was fine red oak and very nice. Small dresser next to a desk, night tables, and a queen-sized bed. There was also a small closet.
I released a spell to relax my muscles, and get out the kinks from sitting in a car all day long, two days in a row, while I followed Korinna up to the next split level. This floor was one very large room, with one way windows for walls in the front and sides. A third of it was filled with workout machines, small free weights, and the other two thirds had mat flooring. I followed her lead, and removed my shoes, but only after I’d cast a clean spell, no need to stink up the place.
Korinna said, “You know, I almost killed your mother once.”
I raised an eyebrow, “Really? Why?”
Korinna shrugged, “Long story, but for a time I hunted angels. Your grandfather saved her, quite by accident actually. My point is you’re lucky, my angel parent tried to kill me when he learned I even existed. That’s what prompted me to hunt angels.”
“I’d never heard that.”
Korinna nodded, “Your family is safe of course, but the point of me telling you that was you should be wary of warlocks as well as angels. Your father and grandfather are exceptions, most warlocks are assholes, and they’re a potential threat to you just like angels are. Most aren’t intelligent enough to figure out what your grandfather figured out, but it only takes one.”
Nephilim's Journey Page 5