Wendigo

by Crystal Dawn

  The second he stepped into the cafeteria, he saw Risa. She was talking to one of the demons who was setting up the buffet. Bellet was a great guy and he’d lost a tail due to torture when he was younger. He’d had to learn to walk all over again. There’d been some hope that it might grow back and it had grown an inch or so then stopped.

  It looked like he and Risa were great friends if the laughing and joking was anything to go by. Win wasn’t jealous, he just wanted her to be careful. Bellet wasn’t the kind that would settle down. He’d been a wild man at the balls the gods had when the demons had still been living there.

  “Hello, Risa. How are you tonight?” Win asked.

  She turned and looked at him. “Hello, Win. I’m doing alright. I was going to mention to you that Cirrus is acting suspiciously. It’s nothing specific and I know you’ll brush me off, but I’m telling you anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t brush you off. Keep me updated if anything else happens and I’ll try to keep an eye on him too.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” Risa smiled. She seemed to appreciate that he’d taken her seriously.

  Lu had decided it was best if Risa didn’t know what was going on so Win couldn’t tell her. There was nothing she could do anyway until this situation worked itself out. Cirrus would have to give away enough information that it was worthwhile to them. That was the plan and it wasn’t a well worked out one, but it was the only one they had.

  Maybe Cherish would find a way that they could get the information so Cirrus could go back to jail. Win didn’t feel comfortable with him among the demons and especially not near Risa. It wasn’t right to put a woman in such danger.

  “Would you like to sit with me? I’m at Lu’s table.” Win invited.

  “I’m already sitting there. Lu directed me to sit next to him.”

  “You can sit between us then.” Win offered. Why hadn’t Lu told him? His matchmaking was getting out of hand. Win could invite a lady to sit with him himself. He was going to have some words with his best friend and leader. “I’ll just be over there.” He said unsure what to say or do now. He went ahead and got himself a tray and all the other things he’d need.

  Bellet and some other demons were pulling off the lids so everyone could serve themselves. Lu nudged him. “Get it quick. The dessert will run out again.”

  “Okay. Are you wanting me to get an extra one for you?” Win asked.

  “Would you? Stef has been taking part of mine. She says she doesn’t need dessert then she sits there and picks at mine.” Lu admitted.

  “Tell her not to.” Win suggested.

  “Are you crazy? That makes her mad. Haven’t you ever heard happy wife happy life?”

  “I’ve heard it, but you are upset even though she’s happy. You want your dessert.”

  “I want her happy and I want my dessert. Help a brother out.”

  “Fine. I’ll get an extra. Happy?”

  “Ecstatic!” Lu said with a beatific smile.

  Win just shook his head and grabbed two desserts to set in his place before going back to get his meal. By the time he was done, Risa was already in her place at the table with her food. He sat down next to her and gazed around the table at the band and Stef with Lily. The feeling was a lot like he imagined family felt.

  “When are we practicing for the concert coming up?” Abe asked.

  Win could practically see Risa’s ears twitching, but she pretended not to be listening. Maybe she was one of those singers that didn’t think she needed practice. He hoped she was good without practice or the concert wouldn’t go good.

  Everyone finished eating without much talking and Lu ignored Abe’s question and Abe let it go for now. People excused themselves one at a time until it was Lu and his family, Risa, and Win.

  “We’re turning in now, Win. Don’t feel like you have to get up or leave too. Just stay where you are. It’ll be alright. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Lu fussed and then they walked away.

  “What was all that about?” Rissa asked.

  Win shrugged. “Beats me. He seemed nervous.” He knew that Lu was trying to match them up, but he didn’t want Risa to know.

  “He’s quirky.” She admitted. If only she knew the half of it.

  “You gotta love him.” Win observed.

  “He’s a good guy deep down. Stef seems happy enough.”

  “Lu loves her with everything that he is. He still almost messed it up so bad it couldn’t be fixed.”

  “Tell me more.”

  “You should ask Stef. I bet she’d tell you.”

  “Afraid of making him mad at you?”

  “Hell yeah. I’ll walk you to your door.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I insist.” Win said and he held out his arm. She took it and he escorted her down the hall. They passed medical and as they got near her door, Cirrus was leaning against the wall across from her door.

  “Risa, I wanted to talk to you for a moment.” Cirrus said.

  “Sorry, we have plans.” Win inserted smoothly. “You can discuss work tomorrow.”

  Cirrus looked furious and he had to tamp his emotions down. “Of course. Sorry to be a bother.”

  “That’s alright. No harm done. Just leave work at work. Risa works too hard as it is.” Win said as he escorted Risa inside as soon as the door opened and he closed it firmly after them. “I wonder what he wants. We need to keep a closer eye on him.”

  “He knows I don’t like him. I thought he’d leave me alone.”

  “I’ll talk to Lu. Maybe he needs to talk to him. That man makes me uncomfortable.” Win admitted.

  He didn’t like the way he looked at Risa. The look on his face made Win’s skin crawl. There were some of the guards that got that look around some of the demons. They were abusive and it was all about control. It was power, not sex they desired.

  “What do you want to do now?” Risa asked.

  Win could think about a lot of things he’d like to do, but he knew better than to get those kinds of things started. “I’d better go. He probably went back to his room. Just look through the peep hole before you open the door and you’ll be fine.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry it came to this. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.” She walked to the door and opened it for him. Win couldn’t help himself, he leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss that almost got out of hand. He pulled back and made himself keep his distance.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He echoed and she closed the door. Looking down the hall, he made sure no one was around before he headed to his own room.

  Once he was inside and the door was closed, he dropped into his recliner. Risa held power over him and he could barely control himself. He wanted to hold her and kiss her, he could hardly hold back. It was hard to tell how she felt about it. She hadn’t made any moves on him, but she hadn’t resisted his kiss either.

  Grabbing his remote, he turned on his TV to a detective show. Win liked to solve mysteries. He’d enjoyed the time he’d helped the gods out when they’d hunted for the lost ones. In a winter environment, most demons could cover up enough to be in a team. It had made him feel useful and like he was filling an important role.

  Helping Lu was important too, but it a different way. Lu had enjoyed going out with the teams too and he had gone more than any demon. Win had been second and Abe third. They had proven demons had the skills if there was a way for them to blend in. The problem was half the locations had been in warm climates.

  The top people of the Origin food chain enjoyed warm weather. That excluded the demons from mission teams most of the time. It was sad because Lu, Win, Abe, and at least dozens of demons had the needed skills in fighting and other areas like communication and computers systems.

  Sometimes it just sucked to be a demon. It didn’t suck so much when he was on the stage playing or singing his heart out. They played out the passion that thrummed through their veins and they sang of love and hate, pain and joy, and life and death. Win could admit he loo
ked forward to the concert, maybe even more because Risa was coming and even if she didn’t know it yet, he was staying with her at her house.

  Yeah, that was going to go over well when she found out. Being alone with her would also make it hard for him to keep his hands off her. Win knew if he ever lost control and took her, it would be hard to ever let her go.

  He turned off the TV. His mind wasn’t calm enough to follow the show. A good fight would be nice and he might even be able to find a demon up somewhere around here. The bottom floor was his best hope. Win changed into athletic wear so he’d be comfortable and headed to the elevator.

  The halls were almost deserted with only one demon lurking about every once in a while. They were the ones like him, unable to sleep and smart enough to know rolling around in bed messing up the sheets was no help. The elevator opened and he hit the button for the sub/sub floor. It was down there in seconds and it pinged then opened.

  The gym was at the end of the hall away from the rooms that were slept in. It could get noisy in the gym especially when demons were beating the shit out of each other. He remembered when they were training for the missions with the gods. They had beat each other bloody daily. Good times. Win needed some of that right now. Not just to receive it, but to dish it out too.

  Pushing the door open, he looked in the gym where the bright lights were still on. A couple of demons lingered unwilling to leave just yet. Win smiled widely. “Abe, brother. How do you feel about a few rounds in the ring?”

  “You’re planning on beating the shit out of someone. I can always tell.”

  “So? Will you go a few rounds?”

  “I’d love to. Let me take off my shirt and shoes.” Abe replied and he stripped off his shirt and tossed it next to the ring. He toed off his shoes and he stretched a little before he slid between the ropes.

  They didn’t wear gloves or any safety equipment. It was a good thing demons healed at an accelerated rate. By the time they were through, they would both be feeling the pain. Sometimes pain was good, it reminded you that you were alive.

  Win got into the ring and they looked at each other a second before they moved to face each other. They started off dancing around and throwing punches. They weren’t playing, the punches hit hard and left damage and their knuckles swelled and some even bled.

  Abe threw the first kick, Win blocked and threw his own. It was like a dance, if dances could leave you beaten and bruised. They moved back and forth, first one led then the other. Win felt he was a little better, but they were closely matched. Their height and reach was almost the same. Win was a bit faster and Abe might have a bit more force behind his blows.

  Abe landed a punch on Win’s cheek. Yeah, he had a powerful punch. Win kicked him in the knee and now Abe limped. Sweat slicked both participants and their hair was wet with it. This was no fight for glory, it was just the need to release some testosterone and test the body’s ability to fight and recover.

  They touched fists in respect. “Thank you old friend.” Win said.

  “It was my pleasure.” Abe replied.

  Win hurried back upstairs and to his room. He stripped naked and stepped into the shower and turned the water on. It washed over him and the water turned red as it washed the blood and sweat off him. The water was hot, relaxing his muscles and calming his mind. When he was done, he dried off and went to bed. Sleep found him easily, it had been the right thing to do.

  Chapter 7

  Creativity

  Sexy, talented, amazing, strong, holy shit! He hated trying to describe himself. Lu preferred to describe other people like his mate, his child, or even other gods. When he used words like sexy, he sounded conceited. When he used terms like cute, he sounded like vanilla, plain and uninteresting.

  What was he doing? Stef had asked each of the band members to describe themselves and each other with five words. She called it a little activity that would help her keep their advertising fresh. Even though the band hadn’t even hit the year mark, she was already all about changing things up.

  Stef was always on the cutting edge and their incredible success was proof of that. Zeus was already talking about having her run a campaign for their Valentine’s Ball and having the demon band play as the main band. The gods had a band too and they would be the opening act and play halfway through the dance to give them a break.

  It sounded nice and it would give the demons that went with him and his band a chance to catch up with old friends. Not to mention that it would give Stef a chance to catch up with her sister.

  The upcoming concert was right before Christmas. Stef had plans to film it and sell it as a Christmas special. Lu didn’t get the big deal about that holiday. To him, it just looked like an opportunity for kids the world over to blackmail their parents out of a pile of money for expensive toys. The poor kids, or those without anyone who cared for them, like he and his demons had grown up, were tough out of luck and most received nothing on that special day.

  That made it a sad day to him instead of a blessed day. He’d make sure any kids the demons had would have a jolly holiday, but what about those underprivileged kids that no one cared about. Maybe no one even knew about them. They might spend the day cold, hungry, and without anything that gave them joy.

  Lu shook his head to clear it, not that it ever worked. This sad reflection on how life was unfair to some and a joy to others wasn’t helping him get the task done. Maybe he needed to start with his band and do his list of words last?

  He’d start with Zepar, the drummer. The beat ran through him more than anyone he knew. Zepar was rhythmic, but he was so much more than that. It was just the closest word to describe his musical talent. The demon was also creative. There were beats he had initiated during practice that had started a song in Lu’s head. The female fans said he sexy and Lu knew Zepar was pleasing to the eye. His body had balance, good muscle tone, and was easy on the eyes.

  There was more to Zepar than just looks and musical ability. He was brilliant in more than one area. His business sense was so good, Lu considered putting him in charge of the building project currently going on. Zepar had a way with numbers. He could look at a spreadsheet and immediately see the mistake.

  His drummer was also friendly. The guy was nice, but not excessively so because that would be off putting. Now Lu had his five words for Zepar. He was rhythmic, creative, sexy, friendly, and numerically inclined. Yes, that was two words, but he was sure Stef would let him off. Maybe she could figure out a way to say that with one. Lu certainly couldn’t find a word to do it.

  Abe was easy. He was striking, muscular, his voice was hypnotic, creative, and diplomatic. Some might say he often resolved disagreements with battles, but that was only when diplomacy didn’t work.

  Xap was next. He was funny, sometimes anyway. His voice was smooth and relaxing like velvet. He, too, was attractive. All demons were. The guy was artistic since he painted expressive pictures. They sold online for an impressive amount of money. That demon was also sharp. He saw to the heart of the matter. Five words for him were sharp, funny, smooth, attractive, and artistic, his voice was gold.

  Win was trustworthy, loyal, capable, talented, and exotic. The females swooned over his mysterious, dark good looks. Lu figured he was getting good at this. Now back to himself.

  Lu was handsome, he’d been told so often enough to believe it. Helpful came to mind. Leadership was one of his talents, and he was skillful in several areas. Strong was another of his abilities both mental and physical. Thank goodness he was done because these kinds of things made him nervous and that wasn’t a good quality. He wondered is Stef would share the lists with all of them and that made him wonder what his bandmates thought of him.

  Since they were all good qualities there should be nothing bad on the list. Unless they couldn’t think of five good things. Now he would worry about that. He would tell Stef he didn’t want to do any more of these activities. Now he had a headache. Lu face planted on his desk. Someone needed to hel
p him and maybe Stef was the one to do it. She could delegate, sometimes, anyway.

  Lu needed to learn to delegate. He kept Win busy enough so that left Zepar, Xan, and Abe to give tasks to. It wasn’t like they didn’t offer to help and he suspected they might even be bored. It was almost time for the meeting they had planned. That would be a good time to initiate changes.

  It was almost as if the thought had called her to him. Stef stepped into the room carrying Lily. The baby was rarely out of her arms. That would change soon since they were building a playroom for kids of all ages. This place was going to be fantastic.

  He slid his paper with the five words per band player including himself over the table to Stef. “You finished the activity?” She asked with a smile. Stef read through the list. “Very nice choices.”

  Lu puffed up with the praise she gave him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re the first one finished. I’m happy that you took it seriously and did such a great job.”

  The phone rang and Lu answered it. “Hello.”

  “Lu, this is Cherish. I have someone on their way to you. They’ll be there tomorrow.”

  “Thank you. We’re in a bit of a pickle with Cirrus and we need the help.”

  “I’m always glad to help. Tell everyone hello and I hope they’re doing great. Can’t wait to see you all for Valentine’s.”

  “Cherish? This is Stef. Can’t wait to see all of you either.”

  “It’ll be exciting. I have to go. They got a hot tip on the phone line.”

  “You go and kick ass.” Lu said. The line was dead. Might it be a demon they would recover? He didn’t care as long as they recovered someone. In his fondest dreams, they recovered all of those left alive, but how would they ever know? “I hope they recover a whole bunch.” Stef said.