by Doug Burbey
"Handler? Your team managed to grab a ring three demon alive? I find that really hard to believe unless you guys have got a lot more firepower out there that I heard. Or, maybe there is some other way to manage higher ring demons."
"Come on, let's not be ridiculous. Of course we didn't grab a ring three alive. Although, we did manage to pick up the human weasel that appeared to be watching over this clusterfuck."
"I've got some questions for that son of a bitch," Declan growled and pushed past Mr. Penx and into the hallway. He noted that this entire floor now needed a serious redecorating effort. That is, unless you were into the post urban warfare shoot out look.
I hope nobody sends me this bill. Because I suck at drywall and no way I'm gonna fix this mess.
"Where is he?"
"Mr. Kenner, we secured the prisoner over here." voice number four answered.
Declan moved down the hall passing two extremely bullet-ridden demons and approached the soldier guarding the mage. Declan saw the soldier wore an identical uniform with the same heavy weapons load.
At his feet lay a human in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, positioned face down with zip ties securing his ankles together and his hands behind his back. There appeared to be a strap across the back of his head securing, of all things, a ball gag in his mouth.
"Really, Sparky? A ball gag?"
"Sir, it's actually really effective. Studies have shown Mages with ball gags in their mouth have extreme difficulties matching orations with the physical motions needed to create magical effects. And it's Sparkazy, Sir. Not Sparky."
"No shit, Sparky. Wait a second, who the hell spends time studying the effects of ball gags on mages? Damn. Never mind. Just roll him over so I can see who the fuck I'm dealing with here."
The soldier reached down and pulled up the head of the quivering, and very young, mage.
"Oh shit, I know this guy."
"Really? You do? That's interesting." Mr. Penx quietly stated from behind Declan.
Strange that I didn't hear him coming up behind me. I must be rustier than I thought.
"Yeah, I know this asshole. I had a run-in with him in my hometown a couple of weeks ago. I thought he was a Fed."
"He’s not, Mr. Kenner, although he was reported to have been ‘accidentally’ killed by one of our agents already. I do believe my boss needs to have a conversation with him."
Chapter 36 - A Fae Walks into a Bar
In the weeks after the MIT incident and running into Declan Kenner at Hunter Gear, Kayter pushed herself harder - push-ups, sit ups, pull ups, going through routines, until by the time she fell into bed each night her body hurt. Nothing she did erased the embarrassment of facing DK at Hunter Gear. Even the memory of him scolding her like a misbehaving child made her want the earth to open up and swallow her.
The worst part? She'd thought she deserved every cutting remark and comment on the sheer stupidity of her actions. It had been almost as bad as having Dad chew her out. Maybe that just made it that much worse. Dad would have stood there and nodded in agreement at everything DK said.
Nights were full of dreams she didn't remember and didn't want. Getting the fading glimpses of blood and demons, she chalked them up to her subconscious also telling her what a moron she'd been.
Maybe I should move on. It's pretty obvious they don't need my help here. So why stay?
The urge to flee her embarrassment fought with the need to prove she really wasn't that big of an idiot. Munching on a power bar and drinking tea she turned on her computer, hoping something would pop up that required her attention, or at least would prove a distraction. The ringing of the phone jolted her from her self-flagellation as she gazed at sensor readings, everything looked normal and boring. Looking at the caller ID she didn't recognize the number but that didn't mean much. A lot of her contacts changed numbers regularly.
"Yes?" She didn't have many friends. Okay no friends, so her greetings were usually rather abrupt.
"Yeah, um, Kayter Reynolds?"
The cold feeling in her stomach cramped at the voice, a man's voice. One she rather hoped she'd never hear again.
"Yeah," her voice resigned as she waited.
Why in the world do I feel like I just got caught putting my sword away without cleaning it?
The man cleared his throat. "It's Declan Kenner. Look, um, you did pretty good the other day, and I might have been a bit out of line at Hunter Gear. So, me and a pickup warrior from the War are meeting at the VFW for drinks. I know you've been there, so if you wanna join us, I'll buy you a drink or two."
Kayter blinked trying to process all the information in those comments. "You don't hate me or think I suck?"
And why the hell did that come out like a request for approval?
She stifled a groan as she let her head thump against the passenger side window.
"Hate you? Hell, no. Why would I hate you? You held up your end of the battle. I think you're reckless and need more team tactical training, but that's cause you're young and haven't worked much with teams. As for suck…" he coughed and laughed. "No. I think you're damned skilled with that blade. Look, we'll be there from about six on tonight. Show up and I'll buy you those drinks." With that, he hung up and she stood there looking at the phone.
All the things he said back at Hunter's Gear came back to her, but this time she inspected them a bit less emotionally.
I did rush in recklessly.
Dad would have beat my butt.
How did he get my phone number anyway? Oh yeah, Miriam.
But never once did he call me stupid or useless. Untrained and a danger to others, yes. But he offered to train me. Maybe?
The thoughts, less emotional and embarrassed, rippled around in her head as she got dressed. Only an idiot refused help. Besides, riding Midnight usually helped her think better.
Kayter drove Midnight into the VFW parking lot, listening as always to make sure nothing around her implied danger. But all she could hear were the cars in the distance and some machinery running behind the building.
Pulling off her helmet, she locked it onto her bike, set the enchantments and walked in. The deciding factor had been a conversation with her dad a few months before he died. Kayter had asked why he went out drinking with the guys when he hated the bars.
"Kayter, the important thing isn't to have the drinks but to hang out with the people who will die for you. Anything less tells them you don't really value them, or what they do at all."
The words never left her mind, and they drove her to show up here tonight, eat crow, and try to bond with the people she might be fighting alongside. She'd always known to make allies, but anything deeper than an “I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine” sort of interaction seemed beyond her. This, this offer of comradeship terrified her.
The promised warmth and familiar smells helped to relax her. She still didn't know if she made the correct choice by coming here but she'd be damned if she backed down now. When she walked in, she stood up straighter, brushed down her dark jeans, and pulled her jeans jacket out and slipping off her leather one. With a smile on her face that she hoped didn't look too fake, she looked around the VFW.
It had a livelier crowd than last time and she stood a minute, adjusting to the noise, as she scanned the room full of military memorabilia and aging veterans. Her gaze snagged on his bald head and the demon hunter coat draped over the back of the chair. With a stiffening of her spine, she walked towards him.
The man who had held the .38 on the ICER agent last time said something and jerked his head towards her. Declan looked up and quirked a smile at her, waving a hand at an empty chair.
She took the few steps to take in the men at the table. Declan hadn't changed, but he seemed calmer than the barely leashed rage she remembered from the fight at MIT or the odd mood swing at Hunter Gear. There he had come across as a no holds barred fighter, but now? He seemed almost – normal?
No, not normal. He just isn't vibrating with energy anymore.
Interesting.
The other man, a good decade younger, with dark hair, a stout frame, and a friendly smile, which he graced her with as she took a chair.
"Nice to see you again, I'm Andrew. We were never properly introduced last time." He held his hand out across the table, winking at her. "Hopefully I won't have an excuse to use my pistol on this sorry excuse for a hunter for getting too fresh with a lady." His teasing remark made her relax even as Declan stiffened. Kayter shook his hand, fighting back a snort of laughter.
"Hey, Kayter here is young enough to be my daughter, if I had kids – which I don't. I'm not trying to get into her pants. You just didn't believe me when I said she kicked demon ass with a sword of all things." Declan leaned back his arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
Kayter shot quick glances at the two of them but shrugged a bit.
"He's right. I did kick demon ass. Though he didn't do too bad. For an old dude." She let the last part slip out and waited to see if she had chosen the right tone. Men were funny creatures at the best of times.
"Oooh, burn. Old dog getting showed up with some new tricks. Maybe she’ll get you doing yoga next. The demon fight application of the ‘down dog’ pose. Naw, you’d definitely sprain something."
"What is this? Pick on Kenner night? Yeesh, invite someone out for a few beers and everyone starts taking potshots. Speaking of which," he raised his hand waving at the bartender. "What would you like to drink? Said I'd buy you one."
"Yeah. Thanks." She settled back, already feeling a bit more at home.
Casey wandered over and placed a steak and fries in front of Declan and an order of fish and chips down for Andrew. She flashed him a quick smile as he focused on her.
"Hey, good to have you back. I had hoped that jerk didn't chase you away." He said as he grabbed the pitcher off the table.
"That wannabe? Not a chance. I've just been a bit busier than I expected. Declan here is buying me a drink. Lager, dark?"
Casey blinked and then leaned over placing a hand on Declan's forehead. "You got a fever or something? You dying and starting to buy beers for people?"
Declan slapped his hand away growling at him. "I'm not buying beers for people. I'm buying beers for her. She earned them. In more ways than one, " he grouched out. "Now get us another pitcher and her drink, or I swear I'll start singing Casey at Bat."
Casey snorted, obviously unafraid. "I've heard you sing, Kenner. You'd get thrown out of this place by a mob before I could even begin to get upset."
"He's got you there, Declan. You can't keep a tune to save your life." Andrew didn't even bother to hide his smile as he drained his glass.
"Great, everyone's a fucking comedian. I can just leave."
"Hell, no. You're buying me a beer." This Kayter knew how to handle. And she fell into it like slipping on the jean jacket -comfortable, worn, and familiar. "But Casey, can you also put in an order for a burger, fries, and some wings, hot?"
"You got it. Anything else for you two cheapskates?"
Declan and Andrew both shook their heads and Casey moved away, grabbing extra plates and talking to other people as he moved through the tables.
"So, Declan here wasn't blowing smoke up my ass about you taking on a demon with a sword?"
"Taking on? No, I killed three, four?"
"Five actually. Damnest thing I've ever seen. Then there was the one she left in pieces in the courtyard."
"Oh yeah, forgot about that one. What happened to it?" Kayter watched the interaction between the men with sharp eyes.
"Government grabbed it. Ecstatic to have a living demon. How'd you know to do that?" Declan rotated his empty beer glass, a sour look on his face though he perked up as Casey came and sat the pitcher down, with a lager for her.
"Food will be up in a minute," he said before heading on back.
"Do what?" Kayter didn't know what they were talking about. There wasn't much to killing demons.
"To dismember it so the government guys could take it," Declan said even as he poured beers into his and Andrew's glasses.
"Oh, that. I forgot about that one. Didn't do it for that reason." She focused on her beer then shrugged. "It didn't have a head, so I didn't want to take the risk of making what I might assume was a killing blow and leave it behind, only to have it keep its brain somewhere else. And I didn't think I had time to hack it apart, so." She shrugged
Declan grinned at her. "Damn. So, you just removed the ability for it to follow you, maybe hurt you. I'm impressed. Granted, I would have just shot the shit out of it." He grinned at her a bit and Kayter laughed.
Casey dropped off food in front of them and turned then froze.
Kayter hadn't heard the door open, her only chair option had been positioned so the door opened to her side and behind, but with a room full of veterans insisting on the chair against the wall both seemed rude and counterproductive.
Declan looked up and blinked and Andrew froze with the beer halfway to his mouth. A cold feeling creeping down her back she turned following their gaze.
Shock slammed into her and a bit of awe and desire. Sex hadn't been a driving fact in her life, ever. She didn't have time and the imperatives her dad had drilled into her made sex with anyone she didn't trust at her back improbable. All that being said, the man standing in the door made her want to strip off her clothes and do wildly inappropriate things.
No, not a man. A Fae, a fucking full-blooded Fae.
Chapter 37 - What do you say to a drunken Fae?
"Please tell me I haven't lost my mind and that is an actual Fae standing in the entrance to the VFW," Kayter said. Her voice was oddly loud in the quiet of the bar and Declan winced.
His eyes were locked onto the man and he swore he could hear people’s heart beating.
"Not unless I've lost it too and joined you in the insanity," he muttered, pushing his chair back a little.
"I have come to parlay with demon hunters about the most recent incursions. My informants have indicated I can find those odd humans at this location."
"Sorry, none of those here. Wrong bar." Declan said in a loud voice. A wave of chuckles swept through but the Fae male snapped his head towards Declan and smiled.
Ah, crap. Way to go, call attention to yourself by the scary Fae. Moron. Can't keep your mouth closed for anything.
"Hunters. Excellent. I recognize your attire and your bravado. You, I will speak with."
He strode through the tables, the hush making the click of his boots a sharp staccato that echoed off the walls. Declan examined the male as he walked. He really wasn't sure man would begin to encompass what he saw. He was tall, about six foot two, with flowing brown hair that reminded him of good coffee, the type you drank black because diluting the flavor would be a crime. The Fae had vivid blue eyes, tanned skin, and a body that Declan had never had, even in his younger days. Muscled, not slim but not bulky, and he moved like a cat, one that had prey in sight.
I would not want to meet this man in a dark alley without a lot of firepower.
The Fae stopped at the table, flashing a smile that looked too perfect to be real. "May I join you to discuss matters of global importance?"
Declan felt the wave of encouragement flow over him and narrowed his eyes.
He has to be using magic but nothing offensive, just persuasion. And global import? What the hell does that mean?
"It's a free country. Sort of." His tone not welcoming, but not quite rude. Kayter scooted a bit closer to Declan, her hands in tight fists on the table.
"Thank you, my good man." The dulcet voice said pulling a chair over as he regally placed himself.
"Oh please, for the love of god, drop the Shakespeare crap."
Something about the Fae toned down, faded. Kayter immediately relaxed, almost sagging in her chair.
Declan bristled.
"Too much? I know humans prefer the drama and elegance, but frankly, it is wearing after a while." He spoke in a much more normal tone, though still oddly formal as he sank dow
n. "This conversation is important. I vow." He glanced up at Casey who still stood there. "Bartender, I would like a drink, well a strong drink. Would you please bring me a bottle of," he bent a bit looking at the wall behind the bar. "Ah, do you really not have anything actually drinkable in here?" His expression made Declan feel like he had just kicked a puppy. Casey didn't seem to fare much better.
"I've got some Laphroaig 18 Year Old under the counter," the words came out as if pulled from him.
"Excellent. Please bring me the bottle and a clean tumbler." He reached into his jeans, which Declan hadn't even realized he wore, and pulled out a wallet, extracting two one hundred dollar bills.
Casey opened his mouth, closed it and shrugged. "Sure." He plucked the two hundred dollar bills from the Fae's fingers and stalked off.
The Fae turned and smiled, something more real but just as potent. Declan stiffened, feeling the magic again.
How much fucking glamor is he using?
The temptation to tell him to drop it tripped across his tongue but he bit it back by focusing on taking a drink.
"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. The matter is one of great importance." He paused, the slightest flicker of a frown crossing his face. "Well, at least to me." He fell silent as Casey dropped the bottle, still sealed, and a tumbler on the table, a glass with ice cubes in it next to it, then headed back off. Declan noted there was no change included and fought back a smirk.
The Fae unsealed the bottle, poured the tumbler mostly full, and took a large drink, and all of them watched in surprise.
"Not bad, it will at least make this discussion easier." He looked at the three of them, his eyes lingering on Kayter with an odd look.
Bristling for a reason he refused to examine, Declan focused on his steak, cutting it up into bite-sized pieces.