Demon Bait (Keeley Thomson)

by P. S. Power

  There was no smile to go with the words, and no one acted sick or disgusted by them. She didn't even, though as far as she knew she'd never consumed that particular delicacy. It probably wasn't that different than pork however. Not even morally, which just went to show how different she was becoming, didn't it? Six months before she would have been offended by that kind of talk, and grossed out by the idea of eating a person. Now the concept of someone pushing her to do it, or slipping it to her was just annoying.

  What it meant was a little scary to her, when she thought about it. Not for long, since she shut it down instantly, but she noted the feeling for just a moment, a trickle of fear that would have been a warning to anyone else.

  Somewhere along the line, Keeley had stopped being Human, in her own mind. For real, and all the way down. Now the idea of eating a Human was no worse than doing the same thing to a dog, which, to be honest, was no worse than the cows she'd just had for her last two meals. She needed to consume things to survive, and it didn't matter what, or even who, it was, as long as there was a good calorie to nutrient ratio.

  That she didn't feel horrible about it left her a bit interested in what had happened to her mind. She knew what had, having been there for the whole thing, but it was suddenly a lot more real to her than it had been even a few minutes prior.

  She was a Demon. One that simply didn't have to play by the rules she'd always known. She got up and got the muffins out and passed them around to everyone. They all needed to eat, and they would be paying for it.

  Shaking her head, mentally so no one else would notice her doing it without paying particular attention, she made a point of remembering what was suggested. Tarsus didn't do all of it, but she did note that The Void wasn't mentioned by the others either.

  There were a lot of reasons why that might be. The main ones were pretty basic though. It was that they had either had all that information wiped from their heads, or, just as likely, that Tarsus really did have something wrong with him, and had done it himself.

  If so, that probably meant that he was The Void.

  Insane too.

  Smiling, she showed them all out, and hid her thoughts better than she should have been able to, given her real age, because letting that slip, even as an idea, would be a quick way to end up dead.

  Chapter eight

  The next morning was remarkably peaceful for her. Most of the basic house work was finished, though she did kind of want a larger bathtub. It was a waste of water, but would be nice to have around later. In the summer the air there was going to be dry and warm, which wouldn't have to affect her at all, but still, it didn't hurt to have a few small luxuries.

  That was a thing she'd never done before, building a bathtub, so she looked up the idea online, before going shopping for anything. It didn't seem all that hard, except that she'd want to build on an extra room for it, to get what she actually wanted. Given that, she decided to simply add a second tub, rather than replace the smaller one she already had.

  First however, she decided on setting up a large garden. The area was going into a drought, one that would be fairly consistent over the next hundred and twenty years or so, but no one would fault her that year for having a little bit of green around her place. Given the amount of land she had, putting in low water use trees seemed like a good idea, too. That would take work, and time, but it wasn't like she didn't have it. In potential. Smiling, she turned her mind away from what she had planned. Not that anyone was reading her right then, but if they were, she really didn't want to be ambushed by insane killer Demons. Or any kind, come to think of it.

  That gave her things to work on, for the early part of the day. It was riveting, after she decided to make it something she cared about. So, other than a few trips into town for plants and tools, and several meals, she just worked until about seven. When the phone rang she had to suppress a jump, and run inside fast, to get there on the second ring.

  "Hello! Keeley here." She could hear the silence coming from the other side of the line. A single breath came, indicating that the person was a Vampire. They had to breathe, in order to speak, like everyone else. From the resonance of the action, it was a female, and a being that wasn't all that huge. She actually knew a couple of people that would fit that bill, but when the voice spoke, it turned out to be Felecia.

  Her new BFF.

  "Keeley? A few of us here were planning to hit the club later. Would you like to go? It's the Terran 2 LA..." There was hesitancy in her words, which had to do with age, or apparent age at least. It was a specific, but slightly baffled sounding phrasing that led her in to that idea. "I... don't know if you're old enough to get in?"

  Keels smiled, but didn't let herself become snarky. After all, it was part of a chain of Vampire clubs, and Felecia was the manager of the place. She kind of knew if Keeley could get in or not.

  "That won't be a problem. I don't think so, at least. What time?"

  That, it turned out, would be around nine that night, which gave her a little bit of time to get ready. It was, she understood, part of some greater plan of the woman. Probably to have her denied entry to the place, so that she could leave with her and show how friendly and kind she was, as well as impress her with how cool she and her friends were. At least if the T2LA in Sparks was as picky about who got in as the one that her friend Troy worked at in Washington State.

  Zack's roommate. It meant she had connections there, after a fashion. Not that getting into a club would be all that hard. She just showered, changed into a nice black spaghetti strap dress with matching shoes, and changed her face to look like she was in her mid-twenties, then altered the shape just a bit, so that she'd look a bit more feminine than normal. Not that she was butch looking, day to day, but being as lean as she was could do that, if she wasn't careful. She took pains not to make herself look unreal however. Zack had actually complained about that to her, a few weeks before.

  Saying that it made her look like a videogame character. Not like a real girl at all.

  The parking lot was full, since it was a Friday night, and there was a long line out front. It was all made up of Humans, other than her, but she just stood there with the rest, as the large black man at the front door, who wore a rather tight black t-shirt, turned away almost everyone. This, then, was the culling line. A few attractive girls did get in, but for the most part people were just being turned aside. When she got to the front, the man glared at her for about ten seconds.

  Then he smiled.

  "Well, you have about the right idea. Hot, but not too slutty. I.D.?" That was a good sign, and Keeley didn't bother with faking that, just digging in her bag and handing over her Arizona Drivers license. It said she was sixteen, which got him to make a face, until she reached out mentally and made his mouth work for him.

  "All right. No drinking though. We run a legit club here." Then he stepped aside, not thinking about anything for a moment, and let her inside. True, she'd cheated her way in, but as far as he was concerned, he was just being a good guy, and not spoiling her night out too much.

  That was what she wanted him to think, after all.

  The inside of the place was loud, and there were only six tables in the place, one of which, toward the back, was taken up by five Vampires. One of them was her new buddy, and she had two younger men with her, leaving the others. A man that looked like he was about forty, in a lean and fit way, and a woman that looked an awful lot like her, if in a slightly larger nosed way, with a jaw that was a good bit more square. It made her not as good looking, perhaps, but they really could have pretended to be sisters without causing anyone to not believe them.

  Barb, from the Vampire embassy. Keels didn't recognize the man herself, but he was in her memories. The ones that she'd lifted from Lenore, the ambassador there. Her boss, Vaughn. If Keeley understood the power structure correctly, he was basically the Vampires regional director. He handled a five state area, of which, now that she bothered to look at that part of what Lenore knew
about the man, included Nevada.

  She used magic to increase the focus of her hearing, blocking out the loud and thrumming techno music that played in the background and the fifty odd conversations around her. It was still difficult to manage, since the Vampires all whispered, but it was pretty clear, even from across the room, that the topic of discussion wasn't her, but rather the Line Walker.

  Vaughn spoke softly, looking directly at Felecia, his eyes locked with hers. He was in black, and wore a suit that didn't fit the room, and she was in black and white, seeming a bit more like wait staff than the Manager. It was a good sign, since it meant she didn't really think of herself as above everyone else in the place. That showed in her slightly downcast gaze, as she listened.

  "We need to ingratiate ourselves to the Line Walker, so each state in the western quarter is being asked to send a person to his new camp. Sparks doesn't have a large community, or an embassy, so this is a great honor being bestowed upon you." There was a smile to go with the words, but it was cold and lacked even the pretence of being real.

  The woman across from him actually shook, in fear, if Keeley got the right idea. Yes, it was artifice, but it did send the right idea. She was showing that real worry was on the table. It made sense, given that Zack was a Greater Demon, and the description of the camp was a bit spotty so far, unless this was the tail end of a conversation she just hadn't heard.

  Her new pal sucked in air, as the two men with her looked away.

  "I... Thank you, for the honor, Vaughn. I don't really have anyone that can be spared right now, however. There are only five of us in town, and Cindy is too young to be sent away. That functionally only leaves me with three others for a city of a hundred thousand. I don't want to give insult to a Demon, but I don't see how I can do that." She was, clearly, trying to make it seem like that was all the Vampires in the whole area, which wasn't true. There were more than that. Not a huge number, but about twenty. It was just that she didn't control those people.

  The older Vampire shook his head at her.

  "I know it will be hard, but I need you to work with me on this, Felecia. Our debt to the Line Walker is greater than I think you may know. He refuses to take slaves, and has only minimal need for money. The Council has decided to back him in this current project, so we need solid, stable people to go in and see to it. That means you, and your crew here. You've kept strictly to the new standards as far as drinking, and that's rare. Impressive as well. Needed however, for this. Pick someone, and tell them to pack. It will be a minimum of three months work. We need to leave this night."

  It was all Keeley could do not to laugh at the man. Barb was clearly biting her tongue too, and not making eye contact with anyone. What she was doing there...

  Well, Keeley got that one, directly from her mind. She'd worked with Zack, off and on, and had gotten him to take them there directly as a freebie, so had been included. Probably because Vaughn didn't want to risk being left there. Not that it would have happened that way. The Line Walker was good to his friends and included people and beings in that category that no one else could understand.

  Still, if the man would just say the words summer camp, it would have let a lot of angst out of the conversation. Finally, as Felecia tightened her face and seemed ready to argue into the night, Keeley moved in and patted Barb on the back. That got her to jump, but she didn't yelp or anything, even as she understood who was touching her. She did swallow convulsively, and went wide eyed as Felecia half stood.

  "Keeley! You got in? I... Well, I was side tracked here. These people are..." It was pretty clear that she didn't have a good lie ready to go. The easiest thing would have been to introduce Vaughn as the regional manager for the club chain, which everyone in their society would have backed, but that didn't seem to pop to her Vampire friend's mind.

  That led to a moment of pure silence and confusion, as she pulled a chair over and moved in right beside Barb, not touching her. She looked terrified, but got that under control and backed off all the way down to merely uncomfortable about ten seconds later. No one noticed, except one of the male Vampires. She waved at him playfully, which got him to smile back.

  He, clearly, was the fast thinker of the group, since he managed to change the course of things instantly. Lying like a professional.

  "Is this your guest for the evening Felecia? She's as lovely as you mentioned. Perhaps you'd like a drink, miss?" It was a bit too formal, but she nodded, which allowed some more time to be bought, while he called for a waitress, who was a perky blonde that scurried over and didn't blink when she asked for a Seven-Up. She was under age, after all, and it wouldn't do to give the place a bad reputation.

  While this was taking place Vaughn stepped in, verbally, and introduced himself.

  "Hello. I'm Vaughn, a friend of Felecia's. From work, obviously. This is my... Daughter, Barbara. I was just asking Felecia if she knew anyone that could help out at a summer camp. I don't suppose you know anyone?" It was a clever use of what might have been heard, really. Also, it allowed the conversation to be turned back onto her, without seeming too awkward.

  "Summer camp?" This came from Felecia, who seemed a little too baffled to really sell the idea, even as Evan, the Vampire that had spoken to her smiled, letting just a hint of fang show. He was good, but not old enough to really hide what he was. Not from someone like her.

  Barb finally had enough of the whole thing and turned to Keeley directly, snorting just a bit and looking a tiny bit angry. She was only about fifty, in Vampire years, which meant since her death, and still had to fight to stay in control of her emotions. She actually did pretty well, given how young she was.

  "Keeley. I didn't think to see you here. Is there... a problem?" She half growled the words, which got her a hug.

  It was a one armed thing, but the rest of the table stared at them, as if either a fight or a make out session where about to take place.

  "Nope. Felecia just had some car trouble last night and came by my new house, looking to use the phone. She was kind enough to invite me here tonight. Now, I don't really know any more people that can work at Zack's camp. Especially not Vampires. Have you tried asking Bey?" She spoke to Vaughn directly, as Barb froze, but left her arm over the other girl's shoulder. It looked a little chummy, but she really didn't need them to be terrified of her.

  There was a reason that Vaughn was the Regional Director, it seemed, since he picked up the whole idea much faster than anyone else at the table did, except Barb. Oh, not who she was, but that she knew all about the situation. The others seemed to lag behind a bit.

  The man himself just grinned at her, charmingly.

  "Ask The Bey for ideas as to who we should send along? Or do you mean I should request the killer of the Vampire council himself for the job?" There was a teasing tone, even as the rest of them went wide eyed at the idea. She got that. It would be easy to think that Bey was a bad being, if you didn't know him very well. He was the one that the others in charge sent to handle problems. Like small armies of rogue Vampires and things like that.

  "I meant that second one. You're clearly supposed to be doing the rest. It's probably a bit too much for a summer camp, having him in to see to it. He'd do wonderfully however. Out of all the Vampires, he's my favorite. We should invite him here, soon, Felecia. He can stay with me. I have an extra room. It isn't huge, but it should work well enough for him, I think. He isn't pretentious or anything." It was all true, but she might have as well suggested that the President come over for a threesome with her and a Gnome.

  Barb managed to speak, which got her looked at a bit coldly by her boss of the evening.

  "I suppose I could call him up and ask? I think that you're right, however. It would be a bit too much. Zack mentioned that your friend Hally is going to be a councilor there? And... Was it Gary?"

  "Right! I'd pop in and see about that myself, since it sounds fun, but you know, I'm setting up my new territory here." Which got her to look toward the front, as s
he felt Zack suddenly appear. The others walked the lines, but he... Flowed in them. It was different. Faster for one thing, as well as smoother and with less damage to the world around him. He left minor disruptions as he passed, but most of the others left rents and tears in different places. She did still, though it was clear there was a better way.

  She got up and moved a chair over for him, even though it took a few minutes for him to get inside himself. He'd been polite and landed in the parking lot. Probably since she was there, and rushing another Greater Demon in her own territory was a bad plan.

  The beings at the table were nicely confused however, which meant that they all stood when Zack got there, given that Vaughn did, and bowed. It was a bit awkward, since Zack just sort of waved back, looking like a kid, and then took the seat next to her, on the far side of Barb, between Keeley and Felecia. She recognized him, it seemed, but that was because Zack was famous, amongst her kind. Like a rock star. A teleporting celebrity that they owed a whole lot of favors.

  She got a hug, which was only a tiny bit restrained, given how close they were. She examined his mind, or tried to, only to find it locked up behind a very nice set of shields. Hers was too, so she couldn't exactly fault him on it. Of course, no one would be able to fake what he did on the lines that easily, and it was her territory, so they were pretty certain to both be them.

  "Hey Zack! I didn't know you were coming to visit. I hear that the Vampire Council has decided to hit my little town here up for some summer camp help? You probably should have asked me first, but I'll let it slide this once. Maybe you could explain that it's a real thing to Felecia? With kids and kayaking, s'mores and singing? Before she starts hiding all her people and pretending they ran off to join the circus? It sounds like a pretty nice job, really. How will the Vampires there be fed?" She said it like it was a sales pitch, which in a way it was.

  Zack was insane, but also sweet, unselfish and probably a better person than she was still. He got the idea however, and took her hand, holding it below the edge of the table. That got stares, since most of the people still hadn't worked out who she was. Or what.