The Search for Starlight

by Elyse Salpeter

  The décor of Lao Yo’s was casual, yet surprisingly elegant and reminiscent of the adornment of Ancient Chinese palaces. Wallpaper resembling wooden placemats, but tinged with gold leaf, photos of real plants and herbs on the walls, and large Ming vases filled with bamboo and other exotic plants between the tables gave their diners a semblance of decadence and privacy at the same time.

  Normally the restaurant was a loud, lively place. Usually everyone was happily diving into their bowls of Mrs. Yo’s famous Szechwan Chicken, or Lao’s steamed pork dumplings, made with a secret ingredient he refused to divulge even to diners with allergies. He made them write out what they couldn’t eat and he’d either say “yes, or no” and that was that. If you didn’t like it, you could leave.

  But tonight the mood in the restaurant seemed distinctly different. It was hushed and somber and there was an undertow of whispering and surreptitious glances all around. Something felt awry and Desmond’s inner alarm went off.

  He sidled up to the maître de and leaned in to speak to her. “Liling, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” Maybe he was just on edge about what had happened the past few days.

  Mr. Yo’s daughter reddened. “Your Miss Kelsey has… a special guest with her tonight.”

  That was it? His girlfriend had invited someone to have dinner with them and that was making the entire place act weird? “Why are we whispering? Is it a secret?”

  The girl blushed further and then pointed to where Desmond should walk to. Perplexed she didn’t take him to his table like she normally did, he skirted around her podium and into the dining room. He could see Kelsey sitting at the far table against the back wall, facing him. Just looking at her from afar made his body warm and tingly. The pull this woman had on him was astounding, and no matter how much time he’d spent with her, the feelings she aroused in him hadn’t lessened over the past year. He felt as if she’d been personally designed for him alone and his desire for her hadn’t waned even the slightest amount from when they’d first met. Kelsey’s beauty was striking and she seemed to glow with a powerful intensity that seemed to radiate around the restaurant. But something seemed off tonight, and a strange feeling began spreading in his gut. While Kelsey always made his body stir when he was near her, now his libido was going into overdrive.

  Kelsey’s gaze was focused on the guest seated in front of her. Strangely, Kelsey had an expression on her face he’d not seen before. It puckered as if she’d just sucked on a lemon and she was obviously unhappy with whomever had come to dine with them.

  Kelsey’s guest had her back to the rest of the diners in the restaurant. Stick-straight, glossy black hair cascaded down behind her seat, reaching to her waist.

  Kelsey caught Desmond’s eye and nodded as he came up to the table. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Hey beautiful. How you feeling?” She’d put a scarf on and he couldn’t see the purple bruises he knew covered her neck from her attack.

  Desmond turned to Kelsey’s guest and his heart suddenly slammed hard in his chest as if he’d been sucker punched. He sucked in his breath and his entire body responded in a way that hadn’t happened since he was a teenager. Thank God he was wearing his button-down shirt over his jeans tonight or he would have come off like the biggest pervert who couldn’t control himself on the planet. What the hell just happened to me?

  It wasn’t the girl’s exotic beauty that did it, nor the fact that she was practically naked. She exuded an allure so strongly sexual in nature, it was almost predatory. Instinctually, Desmond moved closer to Kelsey and placed his hand on her shoulder. He had an immediate, desperate need to touch her. To protect himself from whatever spell this woman wove upon him.

  The vixen stared back at him, a wry, sexy smile on her face as if she thought the whole thing amusing. She glanced at his pants and raised her brows knowingly.

  Desmond moved behind Kelsey’s chair quickly, but he realized with embarrassment the girl already knew what had happened.

  While the stranger with her exotic Indian countenance did not resemble Kelsey in the least, there was something about her common to them both, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. He glanced around the restaurant, and all the other diners were staring in their direction, though they tried to hide it behind their water glasses and raised menus. Desmond was used to people staring at Kelsey wherever they went, but now there were two of these creatures exuding some sort of freaky sexual power.

  Kelsey spoke up. “Desmond, I’d like to introduce you to… a friend of mine.”

  The girl raised one red jeweled eyebrow. “A friend, Tanha? That is what I am to you?” Her voice sounded sultry and damn sexy. “You were always so dramatic and evasive as a child. Is that any way to treat your sister after all this time?”

  Desmond turned to Kelsey, startled, and his jaw dropped. Tanha? Sister? “How?” was all he could utter. Wait, this can’t be.

  Kelsey clicked her tongue. “Yes, this is my sister, Raga. And don’t ask me how she got here. I have no idea yet.”

  “Pleased to meet you… Desmond,” she purred, sizing him up. He distinctly felt like a piece of meat.

  Desmond’s heart raced and he was flustered. One of Mara’s daughters was actually here in the restaurant with them. Not just one that had been reincarnated as a human and had been evolving over the centuries like Kelsey, but a living, breathing temptress demon, first generation. He swallowed hard. This was the very same creature the Buddha had met. He glanced around the restaurant worriedly. “Is your other sister and your father here, too?” Please don’t let this be one big happy family reunion.

  Raga laughed sensually and spread her bare arms wide. The diamonds and emeralds on her fingers glittered blindingly in the lights. “No, it’s just the baby sister. I have some unfinished business to attend to and Father granted me permission. It is my birthday, you know. I’m upset you didn’t remember, Tanha,” she sniffed.

  Raga then turned to Desmond. A sparkling ruby-gemmed bindi adorned the midpoint between her brows. Little gems traced an arc over the tops of both of her eyebrows, all of them highlighting her wide, dark brown eyes framed with the kind of dark lashes he’d heard women paid hundreds of dollars for. The bindi seemed to have a hypnotic effect on him when he stared at it. He felt his loins stir again and averted his gaze from Raga to catch his breath. Think baseball. Baseball, baseball. It’s the twelfth inning in the 1975 Sox versus the Reds World Series. Reds are about to lose when Carlton Fisk hit that walk off homerun, forcing game seven... His ploy worked, until Raga spoke again.

  “Tanha, look at how cute your boy is, trying to control himself. You must have such a fun time with him.” Raga puckered her lips as if to blow him a kiss. “Do you have a hard time looking at me, beloved? Though that’s not the only thing hard, I can tell.”

  Kelsey threw her a hostile look. “Cool it, Raga. You leave him alone. He’s off limits.”

  Reddening, Desmond strained to gaze anywhere in the restaurant but at Raga’s face, but her pull was too strong. His eyes finally settled on her body, which didn’t help at all. Her flawless olive skin was covered only by a glittery halter top, with two thin, shimmery strips barely covering the nipples of her perfect breasts. A sheer pink gauze dressed her legs, and he could easily see her red G-string underwear beneath. Raga leaned back with one exquisite leg draped over the other and slowly pumped her gold-sandaled foot up and down with some inner beat as if listening to music. Through the gauzy pants, he also could see a square bandage taped to her upper thigh. A dot of blood leaked through, which under normal circumstances should have been enough to cool him down, but it did nothing to disperse the spell. Her toe rings sparkled. Desmond was losing his inner battle and groaned.

  Raga licked her lips and his heart pumped wildly.

  I have to leave right now. “Kelsey…” he croaked out.

  Kelsey slammed her hands on the table and raised her voice. “That’s it. Stop it right now. He’s not yours.”

  “And wha
t will you do to me, Tanha? Now that you’re just human?” Raga mocked. She leaned forward and Desmond could smell some intoxicating perfume waft towards him. He swayed on his feet.

  Kelsey instantly turned to Desmond and took his face in her hands. She pulled him roughly towards her and kissed him hard and deep, pressing her body against his the entire time. It immediately broke the spell Raga had twisted within him. Within seconds, Desmond felt like he could think again. He kept kissing Kelsey, and breathing her scent in. He knew he was making a scene in the restaurant, but he didn’t care. The feeling of having Kelsey inside his head and affecting his body felt so much more desirable than anything else, and he just wanted to get lost in her essence.

  Kelsey pulled back and stared into his eyes. “Feeling better?”

  He nodded numbly.

  “Stay next to me until we figure out what she wants.”

  Desmond swallowed hard and took a seat at the table. He sat close to Kelsey and as far away from the temptress as he could get.

  Raga just sat back with a smug expression on her face and tossed her mane of glossy black hair over one shoulder. “Fine, Sister. I’ll leave him alone, for now. But I do commend your choice.” She bit her lip hungrily. “His body is virile and strong. I can sense it. At least you’re taking advantage of the best of the humans here. Though, from what I can feel, he’s actually not even from Earth, is he?” She cocked her head, considering, and then laughed. Her eyes widened. “He’s an Aihikian, isn’t he? Leave it to you to find an Aihikian on Earth! That accounts for how much more connected he is to us. One step closer to the gods. I’m sure he’s fun to play with.”

  “I don’t play with him, Raga. He’s not a slave.”

  Raga shrugged. “Maybe not, but he’d be pleasurable to have around the palace, regardless. You never did like to share your pets,” Raga pouted.

  Kelsey didn’t respond, and for the first time since his senses had returned, Desmond actually looked at his girlfriend. He noticed a strand of black and pink pearls woven in her hair. She had told him about them once. The gift from her father? Wait, what was going on? How was this possible? He was getting uneasy again. Kelsey also wore the talisman of the thrush around her neck. He finally found his voice and turned to Raga, angry and embarrassed at being played by her.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Raga stared at her long red painted fingernails for a moment. For the first time her perfect armor seemed to crack just a little.

  “Let’s just say it’s something only Tanha can help me with.”

  “Will you stop calling me that?” Kelsey said in exasperation. “I’m not Tanha anymore, if you haven’t noticed. At least not here. My name is Kelsey Porter and I don’t remember even half the things you’re talking about.”

  Raga rolled her eyes. “Oh please, you remember enough. So, you’ve evolved over a few thousand years. Big deal. You can’t hide from who you are at your core, Tanha, no matter how hard you try. How do you think I’ve found you so easily? Your aura is like a mark on the universe. Just help me and I’ll be gone, and you can go back to playing with your humans in peace.”

  “And what if I don’t?”

  Raga leaned forward, baring her brilliant white teeth. “Then you’re going to be stuck doing the bidding of the Emperor and Empress for century upon century while Father continues to kill you in every future lifetime.”

  Kelsey leaned forward as well towards Raga, and Desmond feared the sisters would attack each other right at the table.

  “You dare to ask me for help?” Kelsey spat. “How many times did you help me when Father tried to kill me? None! I didn’t see your help in any of my lifetimes, did I, Raga?”

  A waiter tried to inch over with menus, and Desmond imperceptibly shooed him away. The man gladly skittered to another table.

  Raga stared at Kelsey as if she’d gone mad. “What did you expect me to do? Tell Father to just leave you alone? Jump in and stop his minions from doing his bidding? I’m not an idiot, nor do I care what havoc you wrought upon your earthly self. Your bad karma was your own personal choice when you decided to leave the palace. And for what? This pitiful existence?” She waved her hands around the restaurant. “What in the world could you possibly want here on this wretched realm? We get hurt here, Tanha. Look what happened to my leg when I was coming to talk to you at that pitiful bookshop.”

  Kelsey’s eyes widened in surprise. “That was you in the bookstore? Did you set the place on fire?”

  Raga rolled her eyes. “Of course it was me in the bookshop. But I had no intention of setting the store on fire. That was an accident. It was because of that arrogant demon hunter from Pritvhi who attacked me.”

  Now Kelsey’s jaw dropped. “What demon hunter from Pritvhi? You know who he is? There’s someone who’s been following me. Is it the same person?

  Raga shook her head in pity. “Don’t you realize how very primitive you are as a human? You can’t feel anything. Of course it’s the same person.”

  “She’s not powerless. She’s getting stronger all the time,” Desmond quipped protectively.

  Raga sneered. “Not strong enough, apparently. She’s still living in the dark. That human who attacked me at the bookshop is a demon hunter. He can feel your dark power, Sister, because he’s got his own talisman with an imprisoned demon in it. His people use them to find us because our very nature marks us. I saw him go in after you when you entered the shop, and when I entered behind him, he attacked me. I simply struck back. You wouldn’t begrudge your sister trying to save herself, would you?” Her expression changed again, and she slyly raised one finger up. For a brief moment, the tip of her finger sparked with a yellow flame. “It’s a good thing we all have our powers no matter where we are, right?”

  “You killed the bookseller who owned the shop, Raga! He died because of that fight!”

  “I killed no one. The soldier had flying darts he was throwing at me, and I just dodged them. The store was collateral damage. Don’t worry about the shopkeeper’s soul. He’s pure and never traveled to the Naraka realm. He’s already moved on to his next incarnation-- as a human again, I might add. But the soldier? He was a quick little bastard that I’d like to kill. Look at what he did to my exquisite leg?” She pointed in exasperation at her thigh and then grimaced as she stared at Kelsey’s hands. “And look at your disgusting hands, Tanha. All bruised, bloody and wrapped up in bandages. You used to have such beautiful fingers, with the pointiest painted nails. Remember how you used to run them teasingly down your slaves’ backs until they cried out in ecstasy?”

  Kelsey held her tongue.

  “Look, just come back to the palace with me. You don’t get hurt in Naraka, Tanha. We are beautiful and perfect there. Just come home already, and none of this will be an issue any more. Father will protect you, and you won’t be a pawn for the Emperor and Empress any longer, because they are damn well using you for something. And you won’t have to worry about what Father will keep trying to do to you every time you try to live a human lifetime.” Her chin jutted at Desmond. “And bring him. I’m sure Father will let you keep your toy.”

  “Will you stop saying that? He’s not a toy!”

  Raga snorted. “Oh really? And what would you call him? Or any of the other hundreds of playthings you had waiting on you to service your every need?”

  “It’s different here, Raga. I’m human now. And I don’t have hundreds of playthings.” She turned to Desmond. “I don’t, you know. Really.”

  Hundreds of playthings. Pointed nails…

  Raga shrugged. “Fine, so in this lifetime you have just one. Your loss.” She turned serious. “It’s fine with me if you want to stay on Earth. Fine if you want to be used by others for this entire ridiculous life you chose. Arati and I have more than enough things to keep us entertained until you finally change your mind and return to us, but I want Caim back and Father wants you back.”

  Kelsey flinched in surprise. “You want Caim back? The demon stuck
in the amulet? What are you talking about? Why do you want him back?”

  It was Raga’s turn to be surprised. “What do you mean, what am I talking about? Caim. Camio. The demon in that amulet you’re wearing around your neck. Don’t tell me you don’t remember who he is, because I won’t believe you. You’re just upset that he chose me and not you when he made his choice.”

  Kelsey gritted her teeth. “Father sent you, didn’t he?”

  “Of course. He wants you to come home. You’re being used here, and he sent me to get you so that you are no longer a pawn for the Emperor and Empress.”

  Kelsey squinted. “He thinks I’m a pawn? He thinks they’re using me? Why?”

  Raga leaned back casually in her chair and shrugged. “I don’t know everything, Tanha, but I know enough. He cares about you. He is your father, though you keep conveniently forgetting that. He gave you life.”

  “Raga, he doesn’t care about me!” Kelsey shouted. The people at the next table glanced up. “He’s killed me in every lifetime. What father does that to his own daughter?”

  Raga scoffed. “Oh please. He’s just teaching you a lesson.”

  Kelsey crossed her arms in denial, and Raga sighed. “Fine, don’t believe me. Then just help me get Caim back. As a favor to your baby sister. We used to be so close, Tanha. We used to sit around the palace intertwined in each other’s arms while our servants serviced us. Don’t you remember that at all?”

  Kelsey stared at the beautiful Indian princess before her and pursed her lips. Her expression seemed troubled, and Desmond realized suddenly that she most likely did remember. “I don’t know how to get you Caim.” Kelsey said finally, holding up the charm. “He’s imprisoned in here and I haven’t any idea how to get him out. Nor would I just let him go. You think I want a demon walking around Earth?”

  “You walk around Earth,” Raga replied coolly. “I’m walking around Earth. What’s the problem? Now, I want Caim back. And you’re going to help me get him out. Don’t force my hand or you’ll regret it.” She gave Desmond a pointed stare.