Hot Demon in the City (Latter Day Demons Book 1)

by Suttle, Connie

  * * *

  "Well, look at you." The man swayed as he talked, a drink held loosely in his hand. He smelled awful. It only took me ten seconds to realize that this bar was humans only; the music was far too loud for vampire or werewolf ears.

  "Look at you," I responded to the man. "Excuse me, I have to visit the ladies room." I turned to walk away. He grabbed my arm. I tossed him against another patron sitting at the bar.

  The noise from the fight that ensued ended the moment I skipped away.

  Bar two was a kink bar. I got out of there fast.

  Bar three was upscale and attached to a restaurant.

  Bar four—well, that was the one. It was called Tooth and Nail instead of Clawdia's, but still alluded to the supernatural crowd by its name. On the paperwork, it was called something different and belonged to a corporation, listed as DSG Enterprises.

  I was determined to research the corporation the moment I got home.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" A vampire detached himself from his leaning position at the end of the bar and approached me.

  "Just looking for a drink," I replied as coolly as I could. He was so large, I imagined that a wooly mammoth occupied one branch of his family tree. The excessive hair, of course, was what gave him away, though.

  "You need to run along, missy," he snarled. "This bar ain't for you."

  "Then I'll run along," I snapped.

  He reached for my arm. I jerked away.

  "Hey, we're looking for her," a vamp with three followers rose from a nearby table.

  Time to go.

  "Keep looking," I snapped, punched woolly mammoth in the face and skipped away.

  * * *

  "What the hell did you think you were doing?" Anita demanded the moment I arrived in the kitchen. "You should never walk into one of those places by yourself."

  "What places?" Farin wandered in, Tibby right behind her.

  "Supe bars," Anita said.

  "Which one?" Tibby asked.

  "A new one in Oakland. They call it Tooth and Nail."

  "Punny," Tibby nodded. "Haven't been to that one."

  I'd forgotten that he'd been outed as a shapeshifter. I just didn't know what he shifted to. Since being nosy about those things was considered quite rude, I didn't ask.

  "Four vamps there recognized me," I said. "I was forced to make a quick exit."

  "That's the worst thing you could have done," Anita scolded. "They'll be better prepared to grab you next time."

  "There won't be a next time; that's Claudia Platt's new bar, count on it," I defended myself. "I'm going to do research on it tonight, to see what I can find."

  "What are you looking for?" Farin asked.

  "I intend to find out if Claudia has hidden partners in the business," I replied.

  "What's going on?" Watson shuffled into the kitchen, looking as if he were starving.

  "Found Claudia's new bar," I informed him. "So you didn't have to tell me." I turned and stalked toward my bedroom. Watson could fend for himself if he were hungry. I wasn't in any mood to cook.

  * * *

  Kordevik

  "Klancy's watching Lexsi's place; Davis asked me to move in with you—in case you needed backup." Mason dropped a duffle on the kitchen floor and offered a grin.

  "What I need is to find Claudia's new bar," I said. "I intend to let Granger know I'm looking for him."

  Mason went still for a moment—a stillness only vampires can achieve. His unblinking gaze was as fathomless as a silent, cold lake as he considered my intentions. "What the fuck, man?" he said after a while.

  I realized I'd frozen in place while he studied me. "What I said," I turned away. "If you don't want to come with me, and I warn you, you won't be traveling in any conventional sense, then make yourself at home. I'll be back later."

  "You may want to know what your destination is," Mason pointed out.

  "That's what I intend to find," I said.

  "I know where it is."

  "What the fuck?" I turned on him swiftly.

  "Sometimes," Mason said, "It's a good idea to use compulsion, if for nothing else but to keep friends safe. I asked Watson where the place was, then told him to forget I asked. For his safety, you understand. You also understand that if he ever tells Claudia where we are," he didn't finish.

  "Yeah. I get that. Claudia better bring a fucking army if she intends to take me down." Mason watched the puff of smoke I'd breathed dissipate before speaking again.

  "I'm not sure this is the best course of action," Mason observed.

  "Then what do you suggest? Granger tried to kill me twice today. That didn't go so well. If he finds out I have friends," it was my turn not to finish a sentence.

  "You think he'll go after them to get to you?"

  "You're vampire, you've had dealings with that murdering psychopath already. You tell me what he might do."

  "You have a point." Mason agreed.

  "Does Granger know you're a King Vampire?" I asked while Mason studied the problem in silence.

  He went still again. "What the fuck do you know about King Vampires?" His voice was as cold as the snow on a granite peak.

  "I know that Granger likely placed compulsion. I also know it didn't do a damn thing to you. You're young as a vampire, dude. Any normal vampire would have stood there when ordered and let Granger's goons slice him to death. Instead, you fought them off and managed to kill at least one of them. King Vampires are notorious for their fighting skills. Queens, too, or so I hear."

  "You know too damn much," Mason crossed arms over his chest and turned away from me.

  "Your secret's safe with me," I held up a hand. "Look, give me the address of the bar and I'll leave you alone."

  He turned back, then. "What about you? Are you susceptible to compulsion?"

  "Nobody from my race is," I said. "It's the way we were made in the beginning. Truth is, my kind were created to keep the dark worlds in line, including the vampire and werewolf planets. We sort of fucked that up after a while, but the compulsion thing still has no effect on us."

  "What about Anita?"

  I snorted more smoke in a humorless laugh. "Anita, well, imagine the strongest vampire compulsion you can, and take it to the tenth power. It's called obsession. Don't mess with her, man."

  "What about Lexsi?"

  "Lexsi won't be susceptible to either, but she's vulnerable in other ways. Females of my kind, well, they generally don't turn. She only has some decent fighting skills she learned growing up. If anybody touches her," I growled.

  "Look, I get it," he held up a hand. "I'll go with you tonight. The bar is called Tooth and Nail." He rattled off the address in Oakland. "I warn you, Granger's vamps are probably there, waiting for us to arrive. We may have a fight on our hands the second we walk through the door."

  "Not a problem," I flexed my hands and formed fists. A fight was exactly what I wanted.

  * * *

  Lexsi

  I searched through county records, looking for more information on DSG Enterprises. I'd hit a dead end with what was filed on the liquor license, so I started digging for information on Clawdia's Bar.

  There, Claudia Platt was listed as sole proprietor. She'd had no website or any other social media presence that I could find; not surprising, considering what she was. Word of mouth in a closed community was likely her best advertisement. Somehow, they'd all gotten the word on the change of address in Oakland, too. That's when it hit me.

  Klancy.

  Klancy might know how word was spread on all things supernatural. Shoving my desk chair back, I marched out of my bedroom and went in search of the vampire.

  "Lexsi," he offered a nod. I'd found him on the patio, standing on the edge of it while listening for anything unusual and sniffing the air for strange scents.

  If anybody came close to the house, Klancy would know.

  "How do you know," I began. "Well, how does the supernatural community hear when there's a change—like the
address for Clawdia's Bar and things like that?"

  A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. Until now, I hadn't heard him laugh. "E-mail," he replied. "From a no-reply source. Nobody knows who sends them, they just appear."

  "You mean there's a supernatural webmaster out there, who sends out notifications?"

  "Yes. If your name disappears from the list, you are in very deep trouble with the community in this area. Mason's name disappeared from the list. Kory was never on it, although he should have been."

  "What do you mean he should have been?"

  Kory was human.

  "Perhaps I err in saying this. You, perhaps, should have also been on the list."

  "You can tell by scent," I said as understanding blossomed.

  "Yes." He smiled when he nodded.

  "I should have known—my grandmother can do the same thing," I muttered.

  "While I have not encountered your race before, it is not human, young one. Neither is Kory's."

  "He could have told me," I blew out a breath. "I suppose it doesn't matter now, since he left me behind."

  "He has no desire to place you in danger," Klancy turned away to study the lights surrounding the bay far below. "You think he has abandoned you? I feel he is protecting you—by separating himself from you and the others in this house."

  "And here I am, whining about it. Thanks, Klancy." I turned to go back inside.

  "You are welcome."

  * * *

  Kordevik

  "You sure you want to do this?" Mason squared his shoulders as we studied Tooth and Nail from across the street. At least all the neon worked in the sign placed over the door.

  The place was windowless, like Clawdia's, with a heavy, wood and metal door leading into the bar. Two vampires walked in while we contemplated our mission. "I'm ready if you are," I said, clenching my fists.

  "Let's do this," Mason nodded.

  The moment we walked in, conversation stopped. I was used to seeing Watson behind the bar. Two people stood behind this one—a man and a woman, who appeared to be related.

  Perhaps these were the half-werewolves Watson disliked. Nobody approached us as we made our way to the bar. Halfway there, I began the shift to my smaller Thifilathi. My clothing burned away while my skin turned to black scales. Gasps could be heard when my height increased and curved horns formed above my ears. I blew clouds of smoke, which caused those nearby to cringe. Two scooted chairs back to give me space.

  "Where's Granger?" I growled as I fisted the male bartender's shirt in one hand and lifted him off his feet.

  "Put him down." The female pulled a shotgun from beneath the bar and pointed it at me. Smoke drifted from my nostrils as I turned my head in her direction.

  "Put the gun down," compulsion dripped from Mason's voice. As directed, she lowered the gun and set it back on the shelf.

  "Where's Granger?" Mason demanded before I could repeat my words.

  "I don't know," the half-were whispered. "Nobody's seen him for days."

  Chapter 14

  Lexsi

  Watson borrowed the TinyCar to get to work. I didn't care; I had my own form of transportation and it was much faster than driving. It also allowed me to go to the gym beforehand, without a ride from Kory.

  Klancy's revelation the night before troubled me, too. Was Kory a shifter? If so, what kind? Shifters came in all shapes and sizes—the size and mass of the person often had little to do with the animal they became.

  Normal-sized humans became rabbits, squirrels and other small creatures. I considered that while running on the treadmill. What if Kory was a small shifter? Was he too embarrassed to tell me what he was?

  Either way, he wasn't here to discuss it with me. Perhaps he didn't want his secret out at all. I still hadn't heard from him—what if Klancy was wrong and Kory was done with our relationship?

  I realized I'd only make myself sadder if I continued to worry about it, so I showered, slapped on makeup, skipped to my favorite alcove near the bus stop and walked the rest of the way to the station.

  It was Thursday, and I'd promised George cinnamon rolls on Friday. That meant I'd be cooking when I went home for the evening. I had George's résumé on my computer, too, thanks to Anita.

  Time for a meeting with Lee, before he left the following day.

  "You have a minute?" I asked after knocking on Lee's door.

  "Sure." He offered a half-smile. "What's on your mind?"

  "This." I handed him a flash drive with George's information. "George is working as a driver for Rome Enterprises, when he has stellar records from a New York college and ran his own news program there."

  "Our George?" Lee took the flash drive while staring at me.

  "Yeah. Seems somebody only thought he was good enough to be a chauffeur for the company."

  "I'll take a look," he promised. "You're not thinking about jumping ship, too?"

  "Maybe someday. Possibly soon," I said. "I have a few things to do here, first."

  "They're replacing me with Hannah's old boss from LA," Lee dropped his eyes and stared at his desk for a moment. "Those two," he shook his head. "Lexsi, don't let them bully you. You know what to do if that happens." He looked up at me, concern in his eyes.

  "I do, and I appreciate it. More than you know. By the way, I'm bringing cinnamon rolls and maybe a few other things tomorrow," I said. "I hope you like them." I turned and walked out of Lee's office, to find Farin waiting outside the door.

  "Can we have lunch today?" she asked.

  "Sure." I studied the frown on her face. "What's wrong?" I added.

  "Rick. He's acting weird."

  "In what way?"

  "I'll tell you over lunch."

  "Okay. Twelve-thirty all right?"

  "Yeah."

  The reason Farin and I didn't ride together to work was that she had to be there at four for the early broadcast, while I didn't have to show up until two hours later. Working out at the gym was becoming a habit, and I didn't want to give it up. Keeping in shape could save my life, should someone attack me again.

  "Have you ever taken self-defense classes?" I asked as Farin turned to walk away.

  "No, why?" She turned back to me, with a puzzled frown.

  "I think it's a good idea," I shrugged. "Ask Tibby if you can work out at his gym." I turned away this time. Hannah would be at work in an hour or so, and I had research to do.

  * * *

  There was still nothing new on the women's shelter murders in Texas; I spoke with someone at the affiliate in Texas. They were following up on the case but had nothing new, either. They worried the FBI was keeping any new information under wraps.

  I worried about that, too, but from a different perspective.

  The Texas station wanted to do follow up reports; I wanted to know whether anyone was linking Loftin Qualls to the deaths, or were considering them copycat crimes. So far, nobody had said his name, although the deaths could easily be attributed to him, were he alive and on the loose.

  Meanwhile, I did further research on the states still allowing the death penalty; Oklahoma had an execution scheduled in the next month. Perhaps it would pay off if I did research on that prisoner, too.

  Nothing new had been reported on any of the missing people from the California migrant workers' bus, and there was no further word on those college students missing from the Texas bus.

  My fingers itched to punch Davis' number on my cell phone, but I held back. I had questions for him; that much was true. I also wanted to find out how Kory was doing. I knew better than to ask where he was; it was likely a safe house and that information was confidential.

  Stay safe, I sent Kory in mindspeech, knowing he'd never hear my words.

  * * *

  Kordevik

  I almost dropped the weights I lifted; Lexsi's mindspeech shocked me so much. I considered making a reply before deciding against it. She'd know immediately that I wasn't human, let alone most any other creature native to the planet.


  She probably didn't know that Granger hadn't made an appearance in days. Even the vamps in the bar knew nothing—Mason and I checked.

  I found it humorous that none of them wanted to make a frontal assault on me, too, especially when my smaller Thifilathi did the questioning. Perhaps the news of so many of their burned or destroyed brethren held them back.

  I really didn't give a shit. I wanted my hands on Granger and the sooner the better, in my opinion. I didn't like watching my back while humanoid and frankly, Granger had it coming.

  If I discovered Claudia had thrown in her lot on Granger's vendetta against me, then she could expect a visit from yours truly next.

  Mason had gone to meet with Davis and Thomas after we'd gone home the night before; he didn't say what he'd discussed with them and I was asleep when he got back anyway. I'd taken Tiburon up on his offer to use the gym where he worked out. Except for the manager and two boxers going after it in the ring nearby, I had the place to myself.

  Perhaps I should tell Tiburon to invite Lexsi and Farin to work out here. They had everything necessary and few people there to use it. I considered, too, that the full moon was approaching. That meant all the weres and shifters would be going crazy.

  Lexsi might need extra protection during that time; anything that shifted always felt bolder and angrier during that part of the month. I spoke of my kind, too; we became territorial during the moon-shift. I always skipped into the high hills surrounding the Bay area, where fog often drowned out the noise when I released a roar or two.

  "Hey, bro." I discovered Tiburon grinning down at me while I bench-pressed eight-hundred pounds.

  "I didn't see you come in," I said.

  "Most people don't," his grin grew wider. "I just have to avoid the rat traps they put out."

  * * *

  "You're a rat? For real?" I asked. Tibby and I sat in a diner down the street from his gym; I'd gone a few rounds with him when he asked, then agreed to have lunch with him.

  "For real, man. My grandmother—she's the Rat Shifter Packmaster in San Diego."

  "You're worried about telling Farin, aren't you?"

  "Yeah." Tiburon sounded depressed. "She probably thinks I'm a tiger or something. How do you tell your girl you're a rat?" Dark eyes reflected his concern; he was in love with Farin, there was no question about it. He was also terrified she'd reject him if he told her what he was.