The Demon Realm

by Annette Morris

  Diego scratched his head. "I'm stuffed if I know. I always thought it was one place. The old Keeper of the Flames… Keogh… tells us that demons and others are kept in the Flame Realm. I thought that meant Hell. So if He went to the Flame Realm then I guess He would still be there."

  "Unless He did a deal with Lucifer? That's the only way He could've gotten out."

  Diego nodded. "Yes, but if Hades differs from Hell? No, wait a minute. Oh, I don't know. I'm so confused. I've had it. I'm going to bed."

  I laughed. "Yeah, all of this is difficult to grasp, isn't it? And, somehow we have to teach it to our students?"

  Diego laughed with me. "Yeah, how the hell are we going to do that when we don't understand it ourselves?"

  "Huh! That's a good point. Why didn't I think of that before?" I was still looking at the screen of my phone. "Let the students discover the truth. We'll set it as an assignment. They'll have to research all the facts and then we can read what they come up with and decide then."

  Diego looked at me. "That is a good idea. But, in the meantime, for our benefit, I will ask Serentis. See if he knows anything about this. I mean he is the Keeper, now. He should know something. If he doesn't, I'll ask Keogh. He's still around to answer questions. One way or another, we'll sort this out."

  I nodded and sat back. "I hope so."

  Diego jumped to his feet. "Come on. Time for bed."

  I rose slower than he did as I realised what that meant. "Okay."

  He grabbed my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Turn off your brain for now. It is time to express your feelings, not your thoughts."

  I frowned up at him. "What?"

  He stopped and pulled me into him. We stood close. His lips brushed mine. "Feelings… not thoughts."

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  Janey

  I stopped thinking and followed Diego's instructions. I felt instead of thought. Shivers were running down my body. Desire was building inside me. I returned his kiss with equal passion. My tongue slid inside his mouth.

  He pulled back. "Come on, time for bed." He tugged me along behind him.

  I stumbled, still trying to recover from the abrupt stop to the kiss.

  He held onto me as he pushed in the code for the elevator.

  I almost fell inside after the door opened.

  He grasped me around the waist, to steady me. "Sorry, I'm just a little impatient."

  I nodded and snuggled against him as my guards stepped into the elevator. I stayed close to Diego as the lift went down.

  The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the tenth level, but finally the door opened. The guards stayed to the back of the elevator, allowing us to exit first. We wound our way around corridors until we reached Diego's room. The guards, being ever vigilant, stayed close behind.

  In only a few more seconds, we entered his chambers. He gave instructions to the guards then shut the door. Slowly he turned to face me.

  The air seemed to suddenly disappear from the room, in an instant. I gasped as passion and desire pulsed around us.

  --------------

  Janey

  He stalked towards me, throwing off clothes with each step.

  I followed his lead and removed mine as well.

  His eyes lingered on each piece of my naked skin as I revealed it.

  In return, my eyes lingered on his bare chest, his strong arms, and his bulging muscles.

  Then, we were both standing there naked.

  I was gasping short pants. Desire had a hold of me and wouldn't let go.

  He reached out for me, or maybe I reached for him.

  I couldn't say who moved first.

  Somehow, with forces beyond my understanding, we landed on the bed. His kisses stole my breath. His hands raised my temperature as they stroked me. Sweat poured down my body, coating me both inside and out.

  His skin was slick with desire, need and sweat.

  His fingers worked their magic.

  Stars sparkled above my eyes.

  It was a long time before we both drifted off to sleep. Exhausted, but with huge happy smiles on our faces.

  Janey

  I realised it was Saturday morning as my eyes opened to a new day. I felt warm and comfortable, lying on my side. Diego was behind me. He had snuggled closer during the night. I could feel at least one part of him was very awake.

  "Morning." He ran his hand through my hair, as he opened his eyes.

  "Morning." I snuggled into the crest of his shoulder.

  His hands continued exploring my body, enticing and tantalising my skin and mind.

  I moaned as his fingers focused on my nipples. His fingers pulled and tugged until I could feel every touch deep inside of me.

  It was some time before we made it out of bed.

  As we took a shower together later, one thing led to another. And it was even longer before we ventured out of the safety of his room and wandered upstairs for our morning meal.

  --------------

  Janey

  My daytime bodyguards followed close behind.

  Diego pulled out a chair for me after we'd filled our plates.

  After the energy we'd expended last night, I was ravenous. I chose bacon, sausage, eggs and toast this morning, followed by a cold glass of orange juice. Diego had taken a few nips from me last night, and I had to replenish it.

  Diego picked almost the same meal as I did, but he'd added rounds of sausages and onions.

  Our bodyguards were at a table nearby, and we all dug in to our food.

  Diego finished first. He sat back sipping his orange juice as he watched me eating. "So, today I will leave you for a while. I have to organise the classrooms, and the students."

  I nodded. "That's fine. I'm only researching at this stage."

  "Don't forget what day it is," he reminded me.

  I nodded again. "Yeah, I know. Monday is D day."

  He nodded.

  "So how many students are we going to have?"

  "In total? No idea? But I will try for thirty per class."

  I gaped at him. "Thirty students per class?"

  He nodded. "Why? Is that a problem? Should we have more?"

  I shook my head. "No, do we know who's teaching the classes?"

  "I've put out feelers. I've got guys who can teach war strategy, some that can teach computers and others with the physical side."

  "What about all the other subjects like History of the Demon Realm and…"

  "I'm still hoping I can get more on board. I'm trying to get Keogh. As the last Keeper of the Flame and Veils, he must have inside knowledge suitable for teaching. Otherwise… I think you might have to take up the slack."

  "Me?" He wanted me to teach thirty plus vampires?

  He nodded and smirked.

  I shook my head. "How am I going to teach vampires?"

  "Carefully." His devilish grin appeared again. He was very happy this morning.

  "Okay, Diego. That's a good joke. But, seriously…"

  "That's what all of this research is about. If you can get enough questions organised, the students can find out the information themselves."

  I nodded. That's partly trued. But, I was doing the research to plan the course, not solely for teaching it. "Okay, that makes sense. So, I should consider focusing on setting research questions for each subject?"

  "Yep."

  "Okay, I can do that." That would actually be a lot easier to do rather than create study books. Hm. I wonder why I hadn't thought of that earlier. I could've saved days of time. Time I could've spent on other things. Too late now. "I'd better get back to work then, because I've got a lot to do." I stood up.

  Diego and the guards also stood.

  "I'll leave you here. You can find your own way back, can't you?"

  I nodded. "Sure. I'll see you later?"

  Diego leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss.

  I left him there. My mind was already contemplating questions I would need for the classes.


  Janey

  "Ah!" I groaned out loud. I'd been at it for hours. I'd tried to find research questions for each subject, but it was hard. Because I didn't know anything about the Demon Realm for example… then how could I set questions for the students to find the answers. First, I had to learn and know something about it first.

  My mind was frazzled. But I had to keep going. I was running out of time. I was beginning to panic.

  My mind considered what kinds of questions I could ask. Questions like: 'What is the difference between Hades and Hell?' Then, let the students research and argue it out. I was okay with that. There was quite a lot of research material here for them to delve into. More if they went searching online. A thought occurred then. It might be good if we had several computers they could use to access the Internet. It would also be an ideal strategy for the assignments. I made a note to follow up with Diego about the computers.

  Now, what subject was I up to.

  My mind was spinning around in circles. There was so much to cover.

  Knock, knock.

  Who would be knocking on the door? It had to be one of my bodyguards. They were supposed to be vetting everybody who wanted to see me, excluding Diego, Alex and Serentis. Why would they knock on the door though? Wouldn't they open it and stick their head in if they wanted to speak with me?

  I got to my feet and started towards the door. I needed to stretch anyway. Sitting for too long twisted the muscles in my back. I heard my bones creak as I struggled to make them move.

  As I opened the door, I was forcibly pushed back inside by a vampire I'd never seen before. "What's… Who are you?" I took another step backwards.

  The vamp had gone full on vamp. His eyes were red and I could see his fangs. What the hell was going on? Where were my bodyguards? They should've been stationed at my door. Was this a conspiracy or something? Were they in on it too?

  The vampire pushed the door closed behind him. His head turned in my direction. Now he was moving towards me as if he was stalking me. His steps were slow and steady but, they were in a direct line.

  I stumbled back further. Shit, my feet tangled, and I tripped. I landed hard on my rear. I pushed myself back further as fast as I could. Somehow I had to get back on my feet. I grabbed the side of the table and pulled myself up. Then hurried around to the other side of the table. So the table was now between us. If I could get to my phone, I could call for help. "What have you done with the guards outside?"

  His words came out as a slur. "You don't have to worry about them anymore. Soon, you won't have to worry about anything."

  The vampire moved swiftly around the table. I moved in the exact opposite direction at the same pace. But, the chairs were in my way. It slowed me down. He was still moving where I had come to a near stop. We were now facing each other with the narrowest part of the table, between us.

  "Don't make this difficult on yourself. You have no escape. You can try to run for the door." He looked over towards the door. "But, I'll catch you before you get halfway. Be smart. Let me take you. It will be quick and painless that way. If you resist, it will take a lot longer and it will hurt. The agony will be more than you can bear."

  Okay. That didn't sound too good. I began to realise this guy was more than determined. He was insane.

  I moved further around the table. The door was closer to me now. I could make a run for it but, I knew what he said was true. He would catch me. Then I would have no chance. There was no-one else in the room. I didn't know where my bodyguards were. I had to keep this table between us. I could try to phone someone, but my phone was sitting in the middle of the table. If I reached for it, he'd grab me. There was only one other option.

  With no other choice, I stood up straight and screamed as loud as I could. I could feel it reverberating inside my head.

  The vampire didn't react at all. He shrugged as a grin grew on his face. "Scream as much as you like. There is no-one else close enough to hear you."

  I screamed again as I moved further around the table. The vampire kept pace with me.

  I couldn't understand why no-one had come. Surely, someone would have heard me scream? Where were my damn bodyguards? Where was Diego? I stopped and stared at the vampire. "What do you want?"

  He grinned. "I thought that would be obvious." His tongue was out, and he licked his lips as he spoke. "I want your blood."

  "Why do you want my blood? There's blood on these premises for you to drink."

  "I know there is girlie. It doesn't taste the same as fresh, warm, human blood, though. It wouldn't taste as good as your blood. Do you know blood from a terrified human tastes even better? It's got an extra zing in it."

  "Aren't you a guard for The Keeper? Don't you have an honour to uphold?" I figured I'd try reasoning with him. Maybe it would work. But, at the very least, it would buy time. Time to maybe prevent my death. Or maybe time for someone to finally come and help.

  "A guard? Don't kid yourself, girlie. I'm nothing more than a maintenance worker. I do the same thing, day in and day out. Then they come and tell me they want me to set up a room for a human girl to use. The hide of them! They want me to spend my time, setting up a room, for someone so far beneath me. Humans! Bah! The only good thing about humans, is their blood. So, I'm here to collect the share of blood that's mine. I'm here to collect your blood."

  He was moving around the table again.

  "You know I'm with Diego."

  "Diego is with that new Keeper's crew. I've got no respect for any of them. They don't deserve to just move into this house and take over from the previous Keeper. They deserve no respect from me, or from any of my brothers."

  I kept moving around the table. Scanning the tabletop, there was little I could use as a weapon. I hurried around the end of the table. "You know if you're caught, you'll be killed right?"

  He laughed. "They'll have to catch me first girlie." The vampire passed the opposite corner. He didn't stop. He was moving at a fast speed, straight around the table.

  I couldn't get out of his way.

  My hand swiped across the tabletop as I passed the last corner.

  He grabbed me from behind and locked my right arm down by my side. He forced his head down closer to my throat.

  "Ah, the richest vein in a human," he mumbled.

  His face was getting closer to my neck.

  I swung my left hand up hard. It was gripping the metal ruler in my fingers. I angled the sharp corner in towards his throat and push in fast. I drove it in as far as I could. Blood poured out. My hand and arm was covered in blood in seconds.

  He screamed with pain and released me before backing away.

  I stepped back fast to put more distance between us.

  "You bitch!" he yelled. His hand went up, to cover his neck. I knew the wound wouldn't kill him, he'd heal fast. But, I hoped it would give me a little time. I'd gotten the table between us again.

  "What the hell is going on?"

  My head jerked to the door to see Diego standing there. His face was angry. Very angry. His eyes roamed over the blood on my arm. He didn't hesitate. Within seconds, the vampire was on the floor with a wooden stake through his heart. I heard a slight 'puff' sound and the vampire's body disintegrated into dust.

  Diego had gone full vamp. He looked deadly. He was staring down at the vampire's dust on the floor. Then he glanced up at me. His eyes were red. He rushed around the table and pulled me to him.

  I wasn't frightened of Diego. I trusted him. I collapsed into his arms as tears fell from my eyes. I felt safe in his arms.

  "Are you all right, Janey?"

  I couldn't speak, so I nodded instead. I was shaking uncontrollably now it was all over. My breath came in short gasps.

  Diego didn't push me to answer. He only held me tighter.

  Finally, my voice worked again. "I'm okay, Diego. What happened? Where are my bodyguards?"

  Diego helped me over to my chair. He sat alongside me and went to grab my hands to hold them. Then he noticed
the blood all over me again. His eyes flashed red. Quickly, he reached up and ripped his shirt off.

  I would've protested, but I got distracted by the sight of his naked chest.

  He grabbed my hands and began rubbing the shirt over them, trying to remove the blood.

  "He planned this too good, Janey. I must admit I wasn't expecting this. He and some others managed to kill both of your bodyguards."

  "What?"

  Diego nodded. "First, he or someone else, used a tranq gun to knock both guards out. Then a stake was driven through them." He shook his head. They were friends of mine. That's why I picked them to guard you. I thought you'd be safer with them guarding you." He sighed as he thought of the loss of life.

  "I'm sorry Diego. It seems I'm causing nothing but trouble here. I should just leave."

  "No!" he ordered. His hands gripped my shoulders tight. "No. I want you to stay. With me."

  "Diego. It's not working. One of these times, one of these vampires might succeed in killing me. I don't want to die Diego."

  He shook his head stubbornly. "No. You will stay. I will simply order the guards to be able to see you at all times. This was my fault. I should never have allowed the door to be shut into the room. I won't make that mistake again. You will be safe here. I promise you."

  I nodded in agreement. "Okay Diego. I'll stay."

  "Thank you," he replied with relief. "I need to organise a clean-up crew to come in."

  I couldn't believe my daytime bodyguards were dead. They were so big and strong. I couldn't believe that anyone could have gotten the better of them. I was feeling sick in the stomach, and there was sweat dripping down my forehead. "It's a good thing you came in here."

  "Yeah." Diego ran his hand down my back to reassure himself that I was okay.

  "Where did you get the wooden stake from?" The stake was now on the floor, sitting in a pile of dust.

  "Since the last attempt on you, I've been carrying one around. I hoped that I wouldn't have to use it." Diego was now looking down at the dust on the floor. "Let me make a quick call."