How to Love a Blue Demon

by Story, Sherrod

  “I agree, your Highness. It must be a stealth operation,” Jierdun said. “Let us begin with the obvious players. Who had access to the information? Have there been any problems within the ranks? Any oddities or unusual occurrences that might point a finger at the demon responsible for this calamity?”

  “We will adjourn and reconvene in two moons to report findings,” Carlow announced, rising. “I expect results.”

  Council members bowed themselves from the room, and rushed off to begin their investigations, but ultimately, the traitor came forward voluntarily. Once he saw and heard the quiet questioning taking place around him, he knew he would soon be found out. But he’d already decided he could not continue the charade. Guilt was tearing him to bits. He hadn’t slept in many moons, worrying and trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation he was in without additional loss of life.

  When he presented himself to the King, head bowed so low, his hair touched the tiles, the demon Gurel was visibly shaking he was so scared. He had never before been granted a royal audience, and he could only pray that he lived through this one, and that somehow his King would forgive and help him.

  “State your name, demon,” the King said quietly.

  Jierdun and the other council members were silent, positioned in an arc behind the King.

  “Gurel, my King. Gurel du Loxis.”

  “Time is short, demon. We have much to do to clean up the nightmare you helped to orchestrate. My main question to you is why? And before you answer be advised your response will help the council to determine your fate.”

  Gurel swallowed audibly, sweat beads rolling down his young face. “My King, I am deeply ashamed. Please understand I would never wish anyone on the star to come to harm. I hold no enmity or ill will to any demon. I love my home and our people. But I had no choice.”

  In the end the answer was simple, a strategy as old as Cyanus itself – Gurel's family was in danger. His wife and son were the leverage the enemy Unjel had used to secure his cooperation. He was targeted because of his job, and one evening he came home to find an emissary of Unjel sitting in his wife's chair holding a lock of her hair and one of his tiny son’s baby teeth, the end still bloody where it had been yanked from the child’s mouth.

  The scent of his sons fear and pain and his wife's confusion still permeating the air, it hadn't taken long for him to reveal the sentries locations, their schedules, their disguises. Only instead of getting his family back, the demon found himself used again and again, promises for his family's safe return kept dangling over his head like the bitter fruit from the huge centuries-old trees that dotted the Eastern orchards of the star.

  Now, wracked with fear and shame, Gurel found himself undone before the King, tears rolling down his face. Carlow, who never softened in the face of his people's safety and well being, found a hint of pity unfurling in his breast. None of this showed on his face, however.

  “Council. What say you of this traitor’s fate?”

  Carlow was pleased when the elders were lenient with poor Gurel, but no emotion showed on his face as he waved a dismissal at the young demon.

  “My King? If I might beg one more word,” Gurel said, his voice shaking.

  “Yes?”

  “Sire, my, my family.”

  “I will do everything in my power to retrieve your loved ones,” Carlow told the demon. “If they still live.”

  ******

  “What are you doing?”

  Cass looked over her shoulder and kept folding. “Laundry. What are we gonna tell Priti and Boyd? Lee was here one minute and now you are. I’ve been thinking about it, but I haven’t come up with anything solid enough to explain.”

  She sighed, hands still folding. “They really liked Lee. They’ll be sad that he’s dead.”

  “Well, we don’t have to tell them anything, at least not right away. We could employ a little magic to make them think that Lee is simply gone, and that an interval has passed, during which you met me and stopped seeing him.”

  She frowned. “I don’t like the sound of that. It seems dishonest. Priti’s my best friend. I’ve never held anything this important back from her before.”

  “I understand, my dear, but I’m afraid this isn’t the kind of information that should be made public. In fact, the fewer people who know the truth the better it is for everyone.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged, not wanting to share his suspicion that his father had acquiesced to this trip a little too easily. He strongly suspected the King had sent him away for a reason. And to send Rierdane with him? Rierdane had not left the King’s side in centuries. “It’s pretty volatile information, my dear. If the wrong people found out that I was here it could change your life, and not in a good way.”

  Cass could certainly see the truth in that statement. If anyone knew about Eyoen they might try to hurt him, or to use him for experiments or torture him for information about other planets and life forms and what not. It would be like a sci fi movie run amok. “You’re right. I guess you will have to use your magic to ease us through this. Just don’t hurt them.”

  “Of course not, my dear. Never.”

  Cass nodded. “When you say use magic, what does that mean exactly? I mean, what will you do, plant some sort of a suggestion in their minds? Memories? What?”

  Eyoen shrugged. “I suppose it’s a time jump of a sort, but only about this instance. You’re right. It is almost like a suggestion, a very strong one.”

  “But it will last?”

  Eyoen nodded. “Forever. At least, it will last until we change the suggestion.”

  “OK. But what about the rest of the world?”

  “Well, Lee was an orphan. So, it stands to reason there aren’t many people who are concerned about him.”

  Cass shook her head firmly. “No. I don’t like that, that he could just vanish and no one would know he was gone or get the chance to mourn or pay their respects. After a decent amount of time has passed, he’ll have to die, and we’ll have to have a funeral or something. He had a lot of friends and fans, and an agent, a manager, a publicist and all that. People loved him.”

  He watched, disliking the emotion he could sense coming from her even more than the sadness, since it was directed at another male. But Cass had loved Lee. Even now, despite the closeness they’d enjoyed for the past few hours, he knew she was mourning his loss.

  “But he’s dead, sire,” Rierdane reminded. “She chose you. She’s accepted the real you.”

  I know, I know. You’re right, but I can’t help being jealous. Silly, isn’t it?

  Rierdane laughed. “Not as silly as you might think. You should have seen the King when he was wooing your mother. There were quite a few incidents before they got together where he showed a little bit more than the royal blue.”

  Eyoen laughed mentally. Showed his true colors, did he?

  “And then some,” his servant chuckled.

  “Well, then we must honor him, my dear,” Eyoen said. He’d won the prize, and Lee was no longer living. He could be the bigger demon.

  Cass hung up a shirt. Eyoen eyed the towels, underwear and hangers. He waved his hand, and everything was done.

  Cass blinked, looked around, looked at him, looked back at where the laundry now sat in neat folded piles and began to laugh. “Boy, I got some shit for you to do!”

  “What do you need, my dear?”

  “Did that hurt?”

  “What?”

  Cass gestured at the folded towels. “That. What you just did with the laundry.”

  “No. It’s nothing.”

  “You’re not using up your energy, getting tired, or anything?”

  “I am, but not the way you might think. That or even a hundred times that would cost me no more energy than it would you to sneeze. Less. Magic is a part of who I am, and, well, I’m quite powerful. It would take a lot to tire me.” He sidled up close to nuzzle her neck. “I can make love to you all night long.”

&
nbsp; Cass chuckled even as her neck arched into his touch. “That’s good, Mr. One Track Mind. But right now I was thinking more like ironing.”

  He blinked, watching the door close after her retreating figure. She could move awfully fast when she wanted to, for a human.

  So Eyoen spent the next two hours doing housework with his magic. He ironed without an iron, cleaned bathrooms without a sponge or any soap; he waxed hardwood floors, beat rugs, dusted furniture, shredded papers and organized files. And he did it all with a smile because after every chore was completed Cass would clap her hands gleefully. Her pleasure in these small tasks expanded his heart, and it felt so good he kept asking for more and more things to do.

  “You sure?” She kept asking.

  He nodded. “One thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “A kiss.”

  Cass stretched up on tip toe – “You’re so tall!” – and gave him a sweet closed mouthed kiss. She slipped her arms around his neck. “Like that?”

  Eyoen shook his head. “I think you can do better, little one.”

  This close to his warmth and his deliciously scented skin she knew she could too. But she teased him, not wanting to give in too easily. Gently, with just the tip of her tongue she licked his bottom lip. Then she pulled it into her mouth and sucked gently before she released him.

  His mouth followed hers when she let go, large golden eyes slanting with desire, full lips parting as a gust of his sweet breath brushed hers.

  There was a knock at her office door.

  “Come in.”

  Priti stuck her head in and handed over the phone. “Tommy.”

  “Hey, girl.” Cass listened, or tried to listen as Eyoen kissed his way around her ears and neck. “How much? That’s not my usual appearance fee.” She arched, wordlessly encouraging him to kiss more. “Oh. Well, sure, if he’s a friend of yours I wouldn’t mind helping, but he needs to do better than that for me to come outside. Mama Cass has standards, and you know this, man.”

  She laughed. “Why do you test me like this, girl? If I said yes one day, what would you do?” She laughed some more and Eyoen grinned, listening. She looked at him strangely, and he realized she didn’t know how well he could hear. “I’m gonna bring a friend with me I want you to meet.” She grinned and kissed him when he pulled her close. “Yes, fool. A male friend. You gon’ like him, trust me.” She hung up and set the phone on the desk. “Feel like going out?”

  Eyoen kissed her until she had to pull away for breath. “Anywhere you go, I go.”

  He had a lot of fun watching Cass get dressed for the club. She put on a short, tight black dress that bared one shoulder and most of her impressive bosom, strappy grey and black platform sandals adorned with feathers and let Priti make up her face with cosmetics that enhanced her large eyes and reddened her lips. But just as he got within reach –

  “Stop.” Priti ordered, slapping a hand on his chest. “Spare the lipstick, will you? She ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

  Cass laughed when Eyoen pouted. “It’s just till after I make my appearance and hobnob a bit, then you can take all this shit off.”

  He sighed. He had to be content with that, but it already felt as though the waiting would kill him. They’d been making love all day. If he was human maybe he’d have been sated, but he was a demon; he wasn’t even close.

  He eyed her as she put in large diamond earrings. No, he probably wouldn’t have been sated as a human either.

  “Tommy said there’s going to be a little red carpet action and lots of cameras and what not,” Priti said in the car on the way over.

  Eyoen asked to drive, and with a frown Cass let him, guessing rightly that he had never driven a car before. But she quickly found as with most things, he did it easily.

  “I thought this was just a little club opening.”

  Priti shook her head. “Not little. The place is huge. Tommy got Boyd a job working the door. I wouldn’t be surprised if we make the news.”

  “And these marks was tryna get me for a discount,” Cass joked, winking at Eyoen. “You ready for this? It’s your first introduction to the public. Once you’re attached to me in the media you won’t get any peace.”

  He shrugged. He knew she thought the paparazzi were annoying, that she was deliberately exposing him to something he might object to. She didn’t seem to understand that he relished any opportunity to be attached to her. Besides, celebrity crazed paparazzi had nothing on a demon mob with the royal scent in their nose.

  Cameras were flashing when they pulled up, and Priti had called it right. There was a red carpet, a velvet rope, the whole bit.

  “Damn.”

  “It’s supposed to be the new Excaliber,” Priti said as they inched forward.

  It had made the news when the historic Chicago club closed down. Many had been trying to take its place, but none had managed it yet. But The Spot – “Nice name,” Cass smirked when she heard it – seemed to be doing alright so far.

  “Well, here we go.”

  Boyd stepped forward and opened her door, and Cass waved as she stepped out, smiling for the cameras. Reporters surged forward, but the ropes and several other burly security guards kept them back. Nothing could keep them from taking pictures though, and soon Eyoen was seeing spots.

  The entertainment reporter from the Sun-Times stepped forward and asked for a moment. Cass stopped graciously, winking at Eyoen who stood tall at her side.

  “Who’s this?”

  “This is Eyoen, a good friend of mine.”

  “Judging by those clasped hands he looks like a very good friend,” the woman said cheekily; Cass just laughed.

  “Hi, Eyoen. Are you from Chicago?”

  “I travel a lot,” he said vaguely, smiling at the woman. “I like to be wherever my lady is. Doesn’t she look great?”

  The woman agreed that she did.

  “That’s partly thanks to him,” Cass said. “He has this massage technique that will turn you into a new person.”

  “Are you a masseur?”

  “Not really. I’m thinking of opening a wellness center,” Eyoen said, which was news to Cass, but she played along; it was easy since she didn’t have to pretend to look interested.

  He looked stunning tonight. He stood head and shoulders above most of the men there, the epitome of sexy cool in his dark blue jeans and white button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to expose impressive forearms. His black hair shimmered beneath all the lights, and his yellow gold eyes sparkled happily.

  “Really? Are you a health nut or a businessman or both?” The woman was trying hard to get the facts for her show.

  “I’m – ”

  Instinct made Cass slap her hand over his mouth, his eyes sparkled with mischief, and she had to snatch it away when he licked her palm. She gave him a look even as she laughed.

  “He’s thirsty,” she said, ending the talk as Tommy stepped forward. “We’ll see you inside.”

  They were quickly ushered in and settled into a large round banquet set on a platform in the back of the room. They could see everything from their perch, and Tommy motioned to a waitress holding a bottle of champagne.

  “Buddy said the first round’s on him,” the woman said, smiling. “Ya’ll just let me know if you need something more.”

  Cass had a great time introducing Eyoen to Tommy, smirking when her good friend and image consultant gushed and had the nerve to blush when he kissed the back of her hand.

  “How long do I have to stay here?” Cass asked.

  “A few hours then you can slide out,” Tommy promised. “There’s Natty.”

  “Call him over. I want to introduce him to Eyoen.”

  “Shit, what a crush,” Natty complained, grinning. “Only for you would I come out to this mess,” he told Tommy.

  “I appreciate it, boy. Have you met Cass’ friend?”

  Natty stepped forward, hand extended, and Eyoen shook it. “No. I’m Nathaniel Cambridge. Most folks call me Natty.”<
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  “Drop the trans, sire,” Rierdane cautioned.

  “Eyoen Cyanos.”

  “Nice to meet you. How long do I have to stay, T?”

  Cass and Tommy laughed. “You gotta stay as long as I do,” Cass told him.

  “Yeah? Well, then I’ma need something a little bit better than bubbly water. You drinking, Eyoen?”

  “I’m with you.”

  Eyoen had a lot of fun after that. He drank, drink for drink with Natty, ignoring Rierdane’s cautions that alcohol had unpredictable effects on demon physiology. Cass just laughed when his face grew flushed and he giggled and burped and blushed.

  “Pardon me,” he said, deep voice grown even more raspy.

  Next Eyoen discovered the dance floor. He’d told Cass earlier when they were getting ready there was no music on his star. When she rescued her jaw from the floor, she promised to teach him how to dance, which she did over several songs. Like the car and the curtain rods, he took to it handily, drawing male and female eyes as his big body moved sensuously against hers.

  He would have stayed on the floor longer, but he could tell when Cass’ feet began to hurt, despite her assurances that she was okay, and he led her back to their table, carving a path through the other revelers as though they weren’t there. For him they weren’t. He simply sent out a little suggestion and people voluntarily moved aside. And stared. Oh, how they stared.

  Cass supposed she couldn’t blame them. He was gorgeous. More than one woman had tried to come up to him throughout the night. She’d been pulled away periodically to talk to this person and that one as she worked her hostess gig, but whenever she looked up she found his gaze on her, and some woman lurking hopefully nearby.

  “Would you loosen your damn grill, please?” Tommy hissed. “The last thing I need is the story of your jealous tirade in the fuckin’ papers tomorrow. Just smile for the cameras so we can collect this money.”

  “You are a money grubbin’ ass bitch, you know that?”

  Tommy just winked. “Honey, everyone you know is a money grubbing ass bitch.”