by Tia Didmon
He started the car and pulled into traffic.
She glanced out the window as they passed various shops and restaurant. “Where are we going?”
“To see Chad, he is a friend.” He said in a distracted tone.
Jess looked down at her velvet track suit. “I can’t meet your friends dressed like this.”
Dante gaze drifted over her body. Red flickered in his eyes as his gaze met hers. “You look beautiful, besides Chad is our healer your attire will be irrelevant to him.”
Jess leaned forward. There were rumors about the demon healer and if Dante was hurt, then she wanted him to get the help he needed. “Okay.”
Dante hated her defeated tone. She was a fighter but her brother had talked to her like she was nothing more than dirt under his shoe. “Tell me why you and your brother have such a strained relationship?”
Jess sighed. “We never got along growing up. We barely spoke at all until Maddie was born, but made a point of being civil after that.”
“Where is Maddie’s mother?” Dante asked.
“She died of a drug overdose when Maddie was two.”
“And you have been helping him with her care ever since?” Dante asked.
“My parents practically raised Maddie. I would take her on my weekends off but mom and dad had her during the week.”
“Your brother feels no responsibility for his own child?” Dante said with disgust.
Jess looked at him. “He has stepped up since my parent’s death.”
Dante forced his eyes to remain on the road. He didn’t want her to see the anger her brother invoked. Children were a gift. One the demon race would do anything for. “Yet you support him and Maddie.”
“Darnell has struggled to keep a full-time job but after our parents died, I told him to work part time so one of us was always home for Maddie.”
“Your brother has a sense of entitlement yet I see nothing in him to warrant such a recourse.”
Jess shrugged. “Our parents spoiled Darnell. They gave him everything he asked for so he doesn’t seem to understand how the real-world works. It isn’t his fault.”
Dante huffed. “Your forgiveness does not excuse his behavior toward you.”
Jess looked away. “It’s nothing.”
Dante growled. “You just lied to me.”
Jessica’s head snapped back to him. “What, you never argued with your brother?”
“As children, we quarreled with our fists but we did not disrespect each other. We have long since outgrown such insecurity,” he chided.
Jess laughed without humor. “Well aren’t you lucky?”
“I have endured two hundred years of nothing. A black pit from which there was no escape. No love. No hate. I would have welcomed any emotion even insecurity or pity. Something to break the endless monotony that was my life.”
“I’m sorry Dante. Jenner explained the lack of emotion your species feels but it’s hard to imagine.”
“I hope that someday you will allow me to show you.”
“How?”
“By connecting with me. Bonding with me.”
“Jenner didn’t brief me on the bonding process. He told me why demons have little or no personality. That without a bride you don’t feel emotions like a bonded male would.”
Dante appreciated his new brother in laws discretion but wanted her to know everything about his species, about him. He was unsure how fast he should move things with Jessica. He’d seen the mistakes Valen had made with Laura and was determined to give her time to adjust to his world before bringing her into it. The matter of her family was a complication he was yet to unravel. “That is correct.”
Jess was quiet for a minute before speaking again. “Why are we going to the healer? Are you in need... of something?”
Dante watched her blush as his eyes looked her over suggestively. “Chad is incapable of taking care of my needs.”
Jess huffed. “There’s no reason to go all perverted on me.”
Dante smiled. His demon chuckled. He was having fun. Fun. He remembered it but it had been so long since he had teased another. What a gift. “We are seeing the healer for you.”
Jess frowned. “Why? PIA medical cleared me after the explosion.”
“Since the incident at the mansion you have not mentioned your telekinetic ability unless asked.”
“So?”
“You are afraid.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. “Of course, I’m afraid of it. Did you see what happened back there? What if I lost my temper and blasted someone’s ass?” She cocked her head to the side. “Yours for instance.”
Dante’s eyebrows went up. “Are you suggesting that you would be so infuriated with me, you would feel the need to... blast me?”
She pursed her lips. “It’s possible.”
“Then it is a good I scheduled us to see Chad.” Dante chuckled.
Jess searched his face. “Do you think Valen’s... message somehow triggered my TK?”
Dante inclined his head. “Valen’s power may have forced it to rise, but it lived within you and would have emerged, eventually.”
“But it was dormant,” she persisted.
“It no longer is.”
Jess looked back out the window. “Yeah.”
“You must learn to control it. You know this.”
She seemed far away. “Why?”
He thought about connecting with her but the sadness in her voice gave him pause. “You don’t want to hurt anyone.”
She nodded. “That’s true.”
Him and his demon were concerned about the change in her demeanor. He hoped the healer could give him some advice.
She was quiet for a long time before she spoke. “Is Chad a blood demon too?”
“No, he is a Were.”
Jess spun in her seat. “What’s a were?”
Dante parked the car in front of a sign that read Morales Medical Center. “A Were is a demon that has the ability to shift into another form.”
Just when Jess thought demon life couldn’t get more interesting Dante slipped her another nugget of information. Everything he had told her about the demon race fascinated her and she believed she had only scratched the surface. But did she want to know more? Could she keep some things she learned from PURE? “So, they can change into anything?”
Dante nodded. “As adolescents they possess the ability to transform into any animal and they experiment often, but prior to adulthood, they choose their final form. That becomes their totem animal. The singular form in which they shift to.”
“How do they choose?”
“I believe they determine the form that best expresses their personality. The one that will assist them in the path they favor.”
Jessica’s eyebrows went up. “What does the healer turn into?”
“That is a personal question, so it is not my place to answer. Besides, Laura and Chad have a little game going. She has been trying to guess his other form.”
Jess laughed. “Guessing sounds kinda fun.” She glanced at the medical center. “Is he in there? That’s a real facility isn’t it?”
“Of course. Chad Morales doesn’t have many demon clients anymore. He is an excellent human physician.”
“That’s... interesting.”
Dante got out and opened her door. “Come on Jessica, let’s introduce you to Chad.”
Dante led her inside. There were two patients waiting but Dante entered a side door after nodding to the secretary.
He brought Jess to a private room then sent a text on his phone.
She looked around the small room. It had a black leather love seat and chair with a small coffee table between them. “This looks more like a psychiatrists office.”
Dante glanced at a Freudian looking painting. “I had not considered it before, but your assumption is more accurate than you realize.”
“Why?”
“You understand that demons are immortal except for burning and decapitation but as
our demon withdraws from life, we need someone to remind us of our values. To keep our species on the right track if you will.”
“And Chad does this?”
“His demon takes great pleasure in helping others and thrives on challenge. He is one of the few to not completely withdraw without a mate.”
“I thought you called your women brides?”
“A were refers to his other half as a mate.”
“So, they are several cultures within the demon species?”
“Yes, not unlike humans.”
A handsome tall man entered the office, smiling at both of them. “Dante, it is a pleasure to see you.” He held out his hand to Jess. “And you must be Jessica.”
Jess nodded, mesmerized by his kind eyes and the warm smile. Something about Dr. Morales drew you in, made you want to trust him. She never had that response to doctors. “Hi Chad.”
“What can I do for you?”
Jess frowned. Even his voice held an earnest, hypnotic quality.
Dante shifted his stance, drawing Chad’s attention. “We wish to ask about Jessica’s telekinetic ability. It resurfaced after being dormant since she was a child.”
Chad’s eyes sparkled. “I have not had the pleasure of working with a telekinetic. There have been several female blood demons with this ability in the past but not since I became a healer.”
“Just female?” Jess asked.
“Historically, this has been a female trait.”
Jess leaned forward on the couch. “It’s powerful. Do demon females typically have this kind of... strength.”
Chad nodded. “Yes, they have different abilities than their male counterpart but with practice they can be every bit as powerful. A demon female will want to be on... even ground with her male.”
Jess huffed. “It appears the demon race was a tad more progressive than the human one.”
“The demon race has many characteristics of the animal kingdom. A leopard female for example can be just a deadly as the male.”
“Are you a leopard, by chance?”
Chad laughed. “Did Laura recruit you?”
Jess smiled. “No, but I want in on the game.”
Chad took the stethoscope he had around his neck off and put it on the table. “Fair enough. No, I am not a leopard and you only get one guess per visit.”
Jess shrugged. “Okay but I’m talking to Laura to pool our guesses.”
Chad looked at Dante with mock sadness. “I believe I am being ganged up on.”
Dante smiled. “You are unique even by demon standards.”
Chad shrugged, turning back to Jess. “Will you allow me to examine you? Determine the strength of your ability.”
Jess sat back. “What do you mean by examine?”
“I wish to take your hand. You will feel a warm sensation move through you. It will only take a few seconds.”
“Okay,” she said without enthusiasm.
Chad sat beside her on the couch and took one hand. “Close your eyes Jess and allow me access to your mind. Lower your outer shields.”
She envisioned the Scottish castle.
She heard the laughter in Chad’s voice. “That is excellent Jessica.”
She felt the warm feeling travel up her arm. She thought it would feel like an invasion. It didn’t. She couldn’t explain why but she knew the power traveling through her wanted only to help. To put her at ease. Her mind and body relaxed into the comforting warmth. “That’s... wow.” She opened her eyes as the warmth retreated.
Chad smiled. “You have more power than I expected but Dante is correct it is mostly untapped. There are many uses for an ability like yours.”
Jess could hear the excitement in his voice. “You mean besides, blowing up missiles or spinning a spoon in a cup?”
“Oh yes, you can accelerate or lessen movement on a molecular level.”
“That’s somewhat frightening.”
“I am at your disposal if you need me but you are in control of this power Jessica, just remember that.”
“Thank you, Chad.”
He smiled. “I assure you the pleasure is mine. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”
Jess huffed. “That makes one of us.”
Chad got up. “If you will excuse me, I have several patients waiting.”
Dante shook Chad’s hand before the doctor left. He looked her over. “You seem distraught. I had hoped that Chad would put your mind at ease.”
Jess looked up. “It isn’t him. I’m glad you brought me here. Thank you.” She heard the sadness in her voice. She hadn’t expected to like Chad so much. To feel the goodness in him. Was she going to destroy him too?
“Jessica, what is it?”
Jess grabbed her cell phone when it went off. “Jenner text me. I have to meet him. Can you take me home? I need to change.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed. He knew she had avoided answering him. “Of course.”
Jess exited the medical facility with guilt squeezing her chest. Would she destroy Dante or his entire species?
Jess met Jenner at his desk in PIA headquarters. He was putting a second gun under his jacket. “Are we expecting trouble?”
Jenner shrugged. “Not sure. Kiki asked us to meet her in the armory.”
Jess motioned to the hall. “Our armory?”
“That’s what she said. She sounded... scared and Kiki isn’t afraid of anything.”
“Whatever it is we’ll take care of it.” Jess said as she followed Jenner down the hall.
He unlocked the armory door as only level one agents had access. She wondered how Kiki had gotten that access as she was a rookie.
Jess surveyed the room. It was loaded with every type of weapon. Uzi’s mounted the walls. Rifle cabinets stood in rows with multiple rifles in each one. She focused on a connecting door to the testing range. “Wow this is bigger than the Seattle armory.”
Kiki was leaning against a locked steel cabinet. “We have a larger R and D department and that’s the reason I called you down.”
Jenner frowned. “Why would R and D have you worked up? You love testing new weapons.”
Kiki stood, then unlocked the cabinet. “Not this one.” She opened the door.
Jenner and Jess stared at the ten weapons lining the case. Jess had never seen anything like it. The barrel was twice the size of a rifle but shorter.
Jenner touched the firing pin of one weapon. “It looks like a cross between a rifle and a rocket launcher.”
Kiki nodded. “That’s pretty accurate.”
Jenner looked at her. “You’re testing this?”
Kiki frowned. “I’m training on this. It will kill anything demon or human.”
Jenner’s face hardened. “What?”
Kiki grabbed the closest weapon, she put her thumb print on the small scanner on the side of the gun. It powered up with a hum. “Come check this out.”
They followed her into the testing range. Jenner looked at the strange dummy hanging from the ceiling. “What is that?”
“We call them meat dummies. We shape them into human form with a cow hide and then stuff them with various animal parts. We use cow hearts for the chest.”
“Why?”
Kiki motioned the protective gear hanging on the wall. “Put that on and I’ll show you.”
Jess and Jenner donned the eyeglasses and headset that allowed them to communicate.
Kiki aimed at the dummy. “I hope you didn’t eat before this.” She pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit the center of the heart. Her aim perfect. There was a loud pop as flame burst from the chest, engulfing the surrounding flesh before extinguishing as quickly as it ignited. Smoke billowed from the charred husk as the smell of burned flesh permeated the room.
Jenner snatched off his glasses. “Jesus Fuck!” he looked at Kiki in surprise. “There’s no way Marcus would be on board with this?”
Kiki shook her head. “He wasn’t informed.”
Jenner’s face redd
ened in anger. “This is our fucking armory!”
“That cabinet is for R and D. Marcus doesn’t have access. Senator Davidson and Senator Baker have mandated the team to secrecy.”
“My father,” Jenner said in disgust.
“And Greg’s,” Jess said.
Jenner turned to her. “Are these weapons from the Seattle office?”
Jess shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Kiki shifted the gun in her hands. “These weren’t developed here either. They showed up in training a week ago.” She motioned the cabinet they had removed the weapon from. “And that cabinet is new. It doesn’t match the rest of the armory.”
Jenner looked back. “Yeah, I noticed that too.” He rubbed his jaw. “I need to warn Laura and Valen about this.”
Jenner glanced at the charred meat dummy. “Valen is pissed.”
Jess startled. “You can communicate with Valen telepathically?”
Jenner glanced at her. “I probably could but I’m so used to connecting with Laura it has become a habit. He just listens in.”
Jess raised an eyebrow. “He is always in Laura’s mind?”
“Yes, they’re bonded and don’t ask me the particulars on that, I don’t want to know but they’re always connected.”
Jess rolled her shoulders. “Talk about privacy issues.”
Jenner looked at her. “Yeah, but I have never seen her happier. Say what you will about Valen but he would die for her.”
Kiki nodded. “Strait up. That demon worships her.”
Jenner glanced at the dummy. “If anything happens to Valen, then there’s a good chance Laura will die.”
Jess felt sick as they followed Kiki back into the armory so she could put the weapon back.
Kiki put her thumb on the scanner again and the gun deactivated.
Jenner touched the scanner. When nothing happened, he looked at Kiki. “It’s programmed to your fingerprint?”
Kiki glanced at the gun. “My biometrics, and it can’t be hacked or reprogrammed. The PIA won’t take the chance of it falling into enemy hands.”
Jenner’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”