Worth Your While

by Connie Suttle

  "No. This is something new to this world. Until now, our kind believed they weren't savvy enough to create something like this," Yosuke replied. "Why do you ask?"

  "Because if they could create something like that, wouldn't it make sense that they could do other stuff, too? Technologically advanced stuff?"

  Will and Yosuke looked at one another. I imagine they were having a mental conversation about it. "That should make sense," Will agreed. "One would surely follow the other, but they have been attempting all along to regain the power that the pyramids have suppressed. Perhaps they haven't experimented outside the disease because of that. With the power and talent their ancestors were born with, they can accomplish many things."

  "Or they could have been working all along to do or create things in other ways," Parke nodded his understanding. "Doesn't make a lot of sense, now that you mention it."

  "They didn't create the Black Plague; they only found ways to spread it easily and quickly," Yosuke noted. "This disease is definitely not the plague—that has already been determined."

  "The CDC says it could take years to develop a cure or antidote," Cliff said. "Everybody understands that."

  "I'm becoming concerned about where this disease came from, and how they managed to create it," I said, pushing away from the cook's side of the kitchen island. "If nobody else needs anything, I think I'll go to bed."

  "Go ahead. We can stack plates and fill the dishwasher," Zephyr said.

  "Thanks. Destiny, are you tired, or do you want to stay up with the others?"

  "I'll go to bed."

  "Come on, then."

  "Don't forget Chet."

  "Of course not." I scooped the cat off the counter and headed for the bedrooms upstairs. He was purring, his head tucked beneath my chin as we made our way to bed.

  Dalton King

  Vaalenn was pissed. Royally. If I thought she'd listen, I'd have told her it was senseless sending an army against the Capitol. After her attack against the Vice President and the kidnapping of his family, even I knew that anything connected would be carefully watched by Demonkind, Wolfkind and Spritekind.

  They'd all shown up to combat Vaalenn's forces, and she'd lost every fucking one of her soldiers, most of them to the Chancellor's new fire demon.

  It was best to make myself as invisible as possible while she railed against her generals. All of them had done her bidding, as they hadn't wanted to argue with her. Many of their subordinates died in the attack, but they didn't point that out. Vaalenn held rune sigils on all of us, and our lives were in her hands.

  "We have a message," a trembling underling approached Vaalenn, who'd become rabid as she cursed her generals.

  "From whom?" She turned toward the underling, her voice colder than my ice and his life a thread away from ending.

  "Ver'Dak, your worship." I saw a change come over Vaalenn that I never expected to see. Was that fear in her eyes? Did her hand tremble before she hid it?

  Who the hell was Ver'Dak?

  "You will deliver the message in my private chambers." Vaalenn marched out of the meeting hall with as much dignity as she could convince others to believe.

  I wasn't fooled—she was scared shitless.

  BlackWing X

  Zarigar

  "Ver'Dak is now on Earth IV," I told Captains Travis and Trent, while Denevik nodded his agreement. "Until now, he has controlled Shakkor Agdah's actions from the shadows. Now that they've revealed themselves, something changed."

  "Enough to pull him out of his hidey-hole? Whatever it was must have been really important," Trent said. "We've been looking for the bastard for over a year, and suddenly he decides to appear in the light of day? Out-fucking-standing."

  "Is now the time to interfere?" Denevik lifted an eyebrow as he posed the question.

  "I believe it is," I smiled at him. A slow grin spread across his face. He'd wanted this almost from the moment he'd seen Cassie the first time. I understood his motivation completely.

  Cassie

  "Mmmmm—coffee," I breathed as I walked into the kitchen the following morning.

  "The shit has hit the fan, as folks say where I come from," Beverly was wagging a wooden spoon at me while I poured coffee in a mug.

  "What shit and which fan?" I sipped from my cup, hoping my eyes would be convinced to stay open while I walked from the coffee maker to a nearby barstool.

  "All shit, all fans, all the time," Beverly whacked the top of her oatmeal saucepan with the spoon. "Folks everywhere are either convinced you're a hoax or that they're all gonna die."

  "The first is obviously not true. The second, eh," Rob shrugged as he got his coffee and joined me at the island.

  "I think Beverly wants to smack them with her spoon," I turned to Rob, who grinned.

  "Might do some good," she said and whacked the pan again. "You want oatmeal and sausages, or an omelet?"

  "Oatmeal with brown sugar and sausages," I said.

  "You got it."

  "There's a crowd of humans outside the gate of the Seattle house," Parke stalked into the kitchen.

  "Is that good or bad?" I asked.

  "Both. Some of them are calling me the devil. Some are calling me their hero. Hell, some people are waving signs saying they want to have my babies."

  Rob laughed so hard he almost fell off his barstool.

  "Are you thinking about taking them up on their offer?" I teased Parke. Beverly whacked the pan again.

  Dalton King

  "Who is Ver'Dak?" I asked Werlekk. I didn't really want to talk to Vaalenn's closest sycophant, but he was the best source of information in this case.

  "Ruudann and Ruudann's father struck a deal with that one," Werlekk grumbled. "He gave us the poison disease and the means to manufacture more, and the demon killer guns come from him, too. Ruudann always said that with Ver'Dak's help, this world would be ours. Ver'Dak would not have returned if something hadn't gone wrong with the plan."

  "What is Ver'Dak's stake in this?"

  "He only wishes to help us. That's all I know." I watched as Werlekk stalked away from me, his shoulders set and stiff beneath his black cloak.

  Nobody did something like this out of the goodness of their hearts. Ver'Dak wanted something. I wanted to know what it was. After all, someone who could provide demon killers could kill the entire demon population if he wanted.

  Whenever he wanted.

  And, if he could kill demons, he could kill Shakkor Agdah just as easily. What the hell did he want out of this?

  Who the hell was he? I paused a moment to consider that he certainly wasn't human. He was covered in scales that resembled plate armor. As for the goggles he wore, I wondered if those were night-vision glasses to enable him to see in the underground warrens that Shakkor Agdah called home.

  What if they weren't? What was he hiding?

  Something was very wrong with this picture, and I cursed the day I involved myself in it. Morton was dead, and I hadn't realized before that I'd miss the fucker. Hell, I'd settle for a decent conversation with Gorham and Franks, but they were dead, too.

  The whispers began, then, as Vaalenn emerged from the meeting, her eyes downcast, followed by Ver'Dak and at least twenty more who looked very similar to him, except they didn't wear goggles.

  What in the hell were they, and how had so many arrived from nowhere?

  "They're taking over," Werlekk hissed as he passed me. "If I were you, demon, I'd get away while I still could."

  The nearest wall was three feet away. I became ice and plastered myself against it in a thin sheet. Taking Werlekk's advice, I got the hell out of there while I still could.

  Chapter 16

  Cassie

  "There's a delegation of demons who want an audience with the Princess of Alabama," Rob handed an envelope to me.

  "Who?" I asked.

  "The same ones who made a request to Greenville, only he never got around to it."

  "Do we know what they want?"

  "Not yet.
"

  "I suggest a reception of sorts at a neutral site," Jon offered his advice.

  "Good idea," Rob said.

  "If it's a reception, you can invite others who are guaranteed to be sympathetic to your holding the position—in case anybody thinks to get out of hand," Yosuke walked into the room. "Princess, may I speak with you privately?"

  "Yes. I was just about to send mindspeak, but you're here instead," I told him.

  "We'll leave you alone," Rob herded Jon out the door and shut it behind him.

  "Something's wrong," I said, as Yosuke spoke nearly the same words.

  "Something has shifted, and I feel it is not in a good direction," he agreed.

  "It feels—more malevolent, if that's possible," I said, holding back a shudder. All afternoon, the feeling had grown steadily worse, until I was ready to scream.

  "Yes—certainly that. The dynamic has changed, and I have no idea how or why."

  "Cassie," Cliff burst into the room, as if Shakkor Agdah were behind him. "We have trouble, and I need your help."

  Lilith Sloane

  "I made the call for you. What else do you want from me?" The woman wept inside her cage.

  The woman. The Vice President's wife Jessica, actually, because she'd placed a call to the White House for those who held us.

  Only they hadn't asked for a ransom or an exchange of prisoners.

  No.

  They asked for Cliff Young's phone number.

  Strange that I was no longer interested in Cliff Young, or anything else except getting out of my cage and escaping my captors.

  I understood that the people Jessica spoke with wanted to keep her on the line to trace the call, but once they had what they wanted, our captors turned off the phone. And, to make sure we couldn't be tracked, they were now preparing to move us.

  Then they intended to contact Cliff Young. I waited to see whether they'd demand he exchange himself and others for us, or if they wanted something else, instead.

  Parke

  "As you can see, we have prisoners. For now, they are safe. What we ask is to speak with you and the Chancellor if possible. It is most important that we meet. We have information necessary to the survival of all."

  They'd texted their message to Cliff, complete with video of Jessica Brown and her two children—and Lilith Sloane.

  All of the captives appeared healthy, if a bit pale, but all were in cages set beneath an oak tree. Black cloaks stood guard among the cages, their hoods hiding faces from us.

  "What the hell do they want with us? A prisoner swap?" I shook my head at Cliff. We stood inside Cassie's office, watching the video over and over, looking for clues. So far, nothing had presented itself.

  "I think we should meet with them," Cassie said.

  "I agree," Yosuke chimed in.

  "We could be walking straight into a trap," Cliff growled. "After last night, they want revenge, I'd bet my tail on it."

  "I don't get that vibe from these," Cassie appeared thoughtful.

  "What vibe do you get?" I rounded on her, my words harsher than intended.

  "Fear," she snapped. "They're afraid. Everybody in that video is scared witless."

  "Cassie is correct—I feel what she feels," Yosuke nodded.

  "What the hell is going on, then?" Cliff growled.

  "Text them back. Tell them we're willing to meet as long as the prisoners are kept safe," Cassie said. "This may be a tiny beam of light in what has suddenly gone darker than dark. I'm willing to go with you, in case things get out of hand."

  "I will go, as will the sprite guards—to witness this meeting," Yosuke said.

  "Or this massacre, whichever it turns out to be," I complained.

  Cassie

  "They want to meet here." Rob was back, with a tablet depicting a map.

  "The demons?"

  "No. The Shakkor Agdah who want to talk."

  "Let me see," I moved to stand beside him, so I could see the map. "They want to meet at Stone Mountain?"

  "None of our feet will be on soil, making it more difficult for anybody to detect our whereabouts. Even the air sprites would have to be told to specifically search there to find any of us."

  "What does Zephyr say?"

  "She says the decision is yours whether Queen DeLeah is notified before or after."

  "When do they want to meet?"

  "Tonight, at half past midnight," Rob replied. "After the park closes."

  "You know there's more to this than meets the eye, don't you?" I asked him.

  "I get that feeling. Probably not as strongly as you do, but there is something to this that isn't obvious."

  Vaalenn

  "Of course they took your prisoners. I allowed it," Ver'Dak hissed at me. "Do you think I wasn't aware of their defection? I've been watching you, Vaalenn, every since Ruudann perished. You've settled for petty revenge and have lost sight of the bigger picture. I gave your race everything it needed to destroy the humans here, yet you settle for the smallest of crumbs."

  I had to rely on other facial features to convey his real mood; he kept his eyes covered always, whereas his minions didn't bother. "We lost the demon killers," I said. "How are we supposed to proceed without them?"

  "You let a single fire demon take them away. I warned Ruudann to destroy all of the fire demons, did I not?"

  "Ruudann died destroying the last one capable of fighting us," I sniffed, refusing to show Ver'Dak my fear. "And yet, another one steps forward who is even stronger than the last. At least the two remaining in Europe are crippled and can no longer make fire—we saw to that."

  "Well, you'll have your chance to destroy this one, then. Your deserters are arranging a meeting with the Chancellor and his minions after midnight, tonight. You and I will be there, as will friends I've managed to make in the country's military."

  "What do you mean, friends in the military?"

  "Oh, they aren't my willing friends. Let's say they couldn't refuse my suggestions and leave it at that. Regardless, they will back us up when we attack in Georgia tonight. I intend not to lose this battle, so they've been equipped with the demon killers this time. They will sacrifice themselves before they hand these weapons to the enemy; I've made sure of that."

  I wanted to scoff at this armor-plated pig who dressed himself in leather and fur. I didn't. He could kill me as easily as he intended to kill our mutual enemy tonight. I bided my time; after all, if the desired result was achieved, perhaps he would leave us here to reap the benefits.

  With Ver'Dak here, perhaps the lessening of my power would go unnoticed. It should be waxing rather than waning, but Werlekk and the others hadn't spoken of it, making me think it could only be my own power draining away.

  Regardless, with hundreds of new demon killers provided to my army, along with the armed military vehicles Ver'Dak intended to supply, we would win this war with little effort.

  Still, I wanted those who'd deserted me to feel my anger. They'd cut the runes away that had been placed on their bodies, and that was an act of treason. Perhaps I should consider how their impending deaths might be prolonged—to increase their suffering.

  Ver'Dak Dis'rai

  "We only have a small window of time to act, before those who hunt us detect our interference," Powl, my First-In-Command, informed the other officers in my Krelk army. "We have not successfully hidden from our enemy this long just to reveal ourselves now. This means we kill the fire demon, the demon Chancellor and those who stand with them, leaving the other demons leaderless and in disarray."

  "It makes them easier to capture and imprison for the cage fights," I grunted my agreement. "Once they're out of the way, the werewolves and other shifters will be easy to capture."

  "What about the vampires and sprites?" Hannet asked.

  "Those who refuse to join us will die—with the rest of the planet."

  A light appeared in Powl's eyes; he wanted to use the larger weapons as much as I did.

  Cassie

  "D
octor Chalmers, good to see you up and around," I said. I found him and Cliff sitting on Cliff's favorite part of the back porch. They were talking and watching the neighbors and tourists from rental cabins half a mile away boat, kayak and jet-ski around the lagoon.

  "How are you doing, Cassie?" He countered.

  "Uh-uh, no doctoring while you're recovering," I told him. "Besides, I'm feeling halfway better, I think."

  "She hasn't killed Will yet, so that's a good sign," Cliff shifted to a more comfortable position in his chair.

  "He's here? I haven't seen him, yet," Doctor Chalmers admitted.

  "I think you're safe enough; he only murders fire demons," I said.

  "Um, Cassie?" Gemma opened the French doors and poked her head out to blink at me. Dressed in a bathrobe, she'd covered half her face with a hand towel, so I could only see her eyes.

  Without makeup.

  "Gemma?" I asked. She'd sounded afraid for some reason.

  "I found Chet, he got into—some of your stuff," she finished quickly.

  "Is he okay?" I immediately walked to the door.

  "Come with me—he made a mess," she said.

  I followed Gemma as she wandered through rooms and hallways before reaching the steps leading to the bedrooms upstairs. Once we reached my suite, I discovered what Chet had done, because he was still at it.

  Tampons were strewn across the bedroom floor, all of them in some stage of cat-clawed-destruction.

  "Chet," I scolded him. "Bad kitty. Bad. Stop that right this instant."

  Chet went still, carefully let go of the tampon he was clawing with his back feet and stood, shook himself and walked away, tail high. Gemma and I both watched him leave the bedroom as if he owned the place.

  "Mom told me there'd be days like this," I quipped, before picking up scattered tampons, wrappers and bits of fluff strewn everywhere.