by Brenda Trim
At the time he had no idea how she reached out to his father. Later he discovered incubi bred with humans as a permanent portal for them to cross over to earth. They were one of the few demons that often crossed thanks to that biological connection. It was why most incubi readily responded when their offspring were in distress. They took the opportunity to mold their children in their image.
Dante knew right away he had no desire to be like his father. Taking what he needed without compunction was not who he was or who he wanted to be. There was nothing that could justify rape in his mind.
Just call him a pioneer. The first thing he did when he escaped his father and returned to the realm was to establish a friendship with Zander and Nikko. It was at Zander’s prompting that he decided to create a refuge for cambions.
Nikko actually came up with his title of Cambion Lord saying all leaders needed a label to signify their station. He was living in Nikko’s barn when the archdemons attacked and killed all the leaders at that time. Most of his closest friends were elevated to positions of power and together they created the Dark Warrior Alliance.
Life changed for him pretty quick after that, and he never looked back. He’d worked hard to create a safe place for cambion stripling to go when their transition hit. He spent most of his time looking for humans who transitioned into sex crazed beasts thanks to their demonic parent.
Now things were different. His life was no longer about sex. When Nikko had been killed, he stepped up and took over half of his duties for the alliance. He wasn’t cut out for training new recruits, so he left that to Schmidt. He was the most focused cambion he had. But wicked smart and patient enough to deal with overeager striplings.
Dante only handled the strategic side of assignments and finding new recruits. Making sure the Dark Warriors in each area had what they needed and moving them around when necessary. How the hell Nikko did that and recruited new warriors was the eighth wonder of the world.
It was utterly impossible in Dante’s opinion, yet Nikko had handled it like a pro. He missed his friend more than he ever imagined possible. It seemed as if he was picking up his phone to ask Nikko for advice every time he turned around, only to put it down when he remembered he was dead.
With a sigh, he pulled the door to the bar only to find it locked. Stepping back into the street, he checked the sign to make sure he was in the right place. Yep. Old Absinthe House. What the fuck was going on?
Glancing around he checked the empty streets. Dread had him stopping as his heart skipped several beats. This city was never this quiet. Had the demons managed to kill all the humans in the quarter?
His skin prickled like it did when skirm were nearby, but it wasn’t as if the numbers would explain the absence of life around him. As he opened his senses and searched for any signs of life, he realized several things at once.
First, he forgot about the shelter-in-place order the human governments had instituted to deal with a virus that was spreading rapidly through their population. And second, there were supernaturals in the lower levels of the club engaging in sex. He could feel faint traces of the energy. Just being close to sensual acts fed him small amounts of energy.
Finally, the upper level demons were no longer in the area. During his time in the Underworld he’d honed his senses where malevolent creatures were concerned. It was the only way to escape the worst abuse in Hell.
Like all good cambions, Dante had his inner demon trapped within a cage in his mind and it now battered against the cage the walls. He sought a way in the building through the inner courtyard. The bar was established over two hundred years earlier by two cambions he discovered and took in. Because of him Pedro and Francisco avoided quality time in the second circle of Hell with their succubus mothers.
Because of their need to feed from various creatures, the two opened the human bar on the top floor and the supernatural one below ground. Dante had been there countless times over the centuries but had to admit he preferred Confetti Too to this place.
Everything in the French Quarter was clustered together. Normally, it made his stomach twist and his heart race. Because of the eccentric nature of visitors to the city most supernaturals were able to hide in plain sight. That should ease his discomfort, but it didn’t. Unlike Hayden, the shifter Omega; Dante didn’t agree with coming out to humans. They were too volatile and explosive.
Once inside the hidden oasis between buildings, Dante had to smile at the groups standing around chatting with drinks. Pedro and Francisco were losing half of their business daily, but they found a way to make up for that. Shifters, Phoenixes, imps, and Valkyrie talked and drank various beverages while sitting at wrought iron tables set up throughout the enclosed garden.
There was no sign of the various enchantments these beings would normally employ to avoid detection. Part of Dante was ready to shed the tension and dive into a night of pleasure, but the rest of him couldn’t let go of the vigilance he’d wrapped around himself when Nikko died.
“Dante,” a Valkyrie called out and waved her hand.
Turning his head, he forced a smile across his face. “Paige? How are you doing?”
The Valkyrie smiled and leaned forward on the table. The movement pushed her breasts out and put them on display. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be a waste trip. Her arousal and desire hit Dante with a punch of energy. It lifted his mood and cleared his foggy mind just enough for his smile to become genuine.
“Better now that you’re here. It’s been what? Two decades?” Paige asked.
He nodded recalling the last time he ran into her in New York city. They’d spent a wild weekend together. “About that. Last time was when we saw Rent. Or tried to. I don’t think we left the room for three days.”
Paige laughed and nodded her head then talked about the crème brulee from room service. As she talked her wings fluttered at her back. The opalescent appendages reminded him of dragon fly wings. The first time he met one of her kind he’d wondered how such small wings held them aloft and allowed them to fly around. He quickly learned they were as formidable as the female warriors.
“I need to go see Pedro and Francisco, but I will be back soon. We can catch up,” Dante promised.
Nodding, Paige got to her feet and ran her hands over his shoulder. “I look forward to reconnecting. You look like you could use a boost, and I’m more than happy to provide it,” Paige purred with a sensual smile. Dante leaned over and kissed her briefly, enjoying the boost of energy.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he promised then headed into the building.
Standing at the door, Dante looked down the back hall. In the distance he caught sight of the wood bar which proudly displayed its centuries of use. The antique fixtures were off, but with his keen eyesight he could see the jerseys and helmets hanging from the exposed cypress beams of the ceiling. The familiarity brought comfort he needed as he struggled with who he was and what his purpose was now.
It was a chore for him to set aside his maudlin thoughts and continue onto the janitor’s closet. Twisting the handle, he hoped Clarence was still watching the entrance for the club. He’d been there from the beginning of the place. It just wouldn’t be the same without the tiny male.
Pushing the panel open, the smile widened on Dante’s face. “Clarence, my friend. It has been too fucking long. I see you guys have made some changes,” Dante observed. Before the brownie could respond a shifter female opened the door carrying a tray full of drinks.
The four-foot male rushed past Dante and opened the outer door for the waitress as she walked outside. He clapped his hand on the male’s shoulder as he passed back toward the inner door.
Clarence smiled wide, revealing his yellowed, blunt teeth. “It’s good to see you too, mate. I’m doing well. With the human world in a veritable stand still, Pedro and Francisco expanded their supernatural section. I would ask what brings you here, but I can see from your aura that you need to feed.”
The elf-like creatures ha
d the ability to see people’s aura and work earth magic so it was no surprise that he could see how bad off Dante really was. Not that he needed to hide what was happening, but for some reason he didn’t want anyone to know how much he was struggling lately.
Shrugging his shoulders, Dante flashed one of his smiles. It never failed to attract males and females alike. Not that he wanted the small male, but he wanted to put him at ease. “It seems there are fewer unmated females in the realm since the mating curse was lifted. Please tell me this is still the place to find the hottest females in the city.”
Large brown eyes narrowed as he smiled. “Of course, Pedro and Francisco attract the best looking in the realm.”
“And are your bosses here? I need to ask them about demonic activity in the area.”
The brownie nodded his bald head. “They’re at the usual table in the back.
“Thank you,” Dante said as Clarence muttered words in his native tongue. Within seconds a door appeared where there was once a smooth wall. The smell of sex, sweat, cigarette smoke, and alcohol hit him the moment Clarence opened the glowing door.
A steep, stone staircase led the way to the revelry below. Torches hung on the walls, providing the only illumination. Dante hurried down becoming more and more invigorated as he went.
The bump and grind of bodies enveloped him as he reached the bottom step. It was shocking to see so many together in one place after seeing the empty streets and businesses above. The supernatural floor of the club was much like upstairs, with the antique wood floors and large bar area. It was missing the sports paraphernalia because the clientele down here had vastly different interests.
Sure, they enjoyed human movies, music and sports. But that was one minor part of their lives. Supes were directed by their natures. Like cambions needing sex. Valkyrie thrived on combat and battles. Shifters had to feed their animalistic side while vampires drank blood.
Supernaturals came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Most of them couldn’t blend in with human society without drawing attention, so they rarely had contact with the human world outside of television.
The atmosphere of the club was intimate which only served to highlight what he’d been struggling with. He blamed his identity crisis on the fact that he was surrounded by mated couples. It was another reason he had taken the job of supervising the various compounds.
He crossed the busy dance floor and he slid into the booth across from two of his favorite people in the realm. “Dante.” Pedro boomed with a smile.
“We didn’t know you were in town. When did you get in?” Francisco asked.
“I arrived day before yesterday. Checking how shit is running in your area,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Should we have this conversation after you feed?” Pedro countered. “You’re on the edge of losing your shit.”
Dante laughed while inside he was cursing himself. He should have known they would sense how close he was to losing it. He’d taken them in and taught them everything he knew. “Nah. Paige is waiting outside for me. I like your expansion, by the way.”
A female fire demon approached the table with an apron around her waist. Fire demons had flawless, luminescent skin and earthly beauty that masked their deadly interior. Only idiots pissed one off. Or masochists. Dante knew quite a few who enjoyed pain during sex, but few enjoyed regenerating burned flesh. Rhett showed him how loyal they were. He was really fucking grateful to have the lethal but fun male on their side.
“What’s your poison, darlin’?” the fire demon asked as she cocked a hip, bumping Dante’s shoulder.
“Whiskey, please.” Dante said then refocused on his friends when the waitress walked off.
“We’ve wanted to do tables outside for our main customers, but with humans all over the city like fleas on cats it was never safe. It’s more than made up for not having the top half open right now,” Pedro explained.
“Has everything slowed in the city? And, by that I mean has there been an increase or decrease in demonic activity,” Dante clarified as he thanked the waitress for his drink.
Francisco was nodding his head while Pedro was smiling at a female sitting at the next table. “I haven’t run across a skirm kill for a couple weeks. At first, I assumed it was because there weren’t as many humans out and about at the moment. But that’s not it,” Francisco told him.
Refocusing on the conversation, Pedro added, “Tonight was the first time in days I sensed skirm nearby. I’ve only encountered half a dozen hellhounds and rage demons in the past couple days when normally I hear about at least one per day. This city is a hotspot for activity, as you know.”
“Yep. It’s where all the legend and lore comes from,” Dante acknowledged. “So, why do you think there has been less activity lately? Supernaturals, which include those vile fucking creatures, are immune to the virus affecting humans.” This was why he’d come here. He wanted their opinion. They’d been in the French Quarter for centuries and had seen countless wars and plagues.
Witches, warlocks and sorcerers all across the globe had been casting spells to seal portals that let demons in from the Underworld. The problem is no one really knew if they were working or not. It had never been tried before. Not until the Rowan sisters were successful at binding Lucifer to Hell.
“Honestly, I have no idea. I’d say your warriors have been too efficient at killing the enemy for the past century, but it doesn’t feel like that’s all of it,” Pedro said as he ran his finger around the rim of his empty glass.
“I think it’s the new archdemon. Ever since she lost her sister, she has been focusing solely on Seattle and kidnapping stripling,” Francisco interjected.
“Lower level demons follow orders from the top, so that makes sense,” Dante murmured as he tossed back the rest of his drink. That actually did make sense. “If you hear anything about this please give me a call.”
Dante excused himself and headed back to Paige. He couldn’t put off feeding any longer. With Izzy back in the realm it was more important than ever that he understand what motivated their behaviors. No one was willing to put the Princess at risk. Not only was she their tie to the Goddess, but she was loved by everyone who came in contact with her.
Chapter 5
What the hell happened? Was she in a coma and this all a dream? Or worse. Was she dead? One of those had to be the explanation. Nothing else made sense for what she had seen tonight. She wasn’t surprised by any of it. She’d grown up on stories of the fantastic.
But being introduced to these sexy men and angels was somehow surreal. The three brothers were obviously other, but she had no idea about the other two men. Slate and Aison. Two others joined them, Luke and Micah. All seven guys were dressed in leather pants and black shirts with thick soled boots.
“How are you not freaking out?” Araton asked a moment later as if the angel could read her mind. He’d introduced himself along with his brothers and the Dark Warriors with them.
They were sitting in the parlor of a mansion in the Garden District. She’d driven by this house countless times on patrol. Never before would she have believed that supernaturals lived in the place. It was elegant with furniture she’d only ever seen on TV shows about rich people’s houses. The odd thing was she didn’t feel unwelcome or uneasy in the place.
“I was born and bred here in the Crescent City. I was raised on ghosts, vampires, voodoo and Cajun food. And in my line of work I’ve seen my share of ghosts and vampires. Seeing angels is actually comforting,” she admitted as she waved to the sexy, broody angel.
There were three of them with red wings that filled the room, making it seem small in comparison. She was in a freaking mansion with a formal parlor bigger than her entire apartment, yet their presence took up all the space. And that was without adding the others. She had no idea what they were, but her gut screamed they weren’t human.
“You’ve seen vampires?” Slate demanded.
She shrugged. “As a cop I’ve on
e or two guys with pointy teeth embedded in a woman’s neck. I assumed they were fake, but he looked up with red eyes and took off faster than I could keep up. That told me all I needed to know.”
“That wasn’t a vampire. It was a skirm. An archdemon’s minion,” Araton informed her.
That made sense. Her skin had crawled when she encountered these creatures. The women had been whisked away to deal with their injuries and when she read the Detective’s reports later, she discovered the victims reported being attacked by what they called vampires.
“So, demons live on earth? Did they all come through the LaLaurie Mansion? Cause that would make sense about why it’s haunted and evil follows it like a plague. I’m just glad that Lucifer never made it through. I watched his ass get sucked back down to Hell along with the other creature,” she said and couldn’t help the shudder that ran through her when she remembered the ugly beast with horns.
“There are many more portals from the Underworld, but most often they occur in a place infused with foul energy. And only a place of pure evil would be dark enough to allow Lucifer to cross over,” Araton explained. “Which is why I wanted to burn the fucking place to the ground.”
Lia crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the angel. “I understand your desire, but someone owns that home. It’s not right to destroy something that doesn’t belong to you. In my opinion that would perpetuate the evil aura around the place.”
Abraxos, Araton’s brother, chuckled at that. “I like you, Natalia. You have spunk. You’re not just another beautiful face. And, you have a point. There are many other ways to cleanse a dwelling, but they take time and a lot of power. If I agree to remove as much of the malicious energy as I can, perhaps you’d be willing to help me refill my stores.”
Natalia thought she heard a growl from Araton but couldn’t be sure. What she did know was men were the same regardless of their species. There was no doubt what Abraxos meant. His smoldering smile and hooded eyes told it all.
