A Demon's Work Is Never Done: Latter Day Demons, Book 2
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A Demon's Work Is Never Done
Latter Day Demons, Book 2
Connie Suttle
SubtleDemon Publishing, LLC
Copyright (c) 2015 Connie Suttle All rights reserved.
Published by:
SubtleDemon Publishing, LLC
PO Box 95696
Oklahoma City, OK 73143
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, incidents, and characters are the product of the author's imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
eISBN: 9781939759375
Cover Art by: Renee Barratt at The Cover Counts
To Walter, Joe, Sarah, Larry, Lee. Dianne and Mark
You make me better every time.
Acknowledgements
As always, this book is the result of collaboration. If it weren't for the support of my editor, my cover artist and my beta readers, it would be less than it is. All mistakes, as usual, are mine and no other's.
About the Author:
Connie Suttle lives in Oklahoma with her husband and The Suttle Cat Sovereignty.
You may find Connie in the following ways:
Facebook: Connie Suttle Author
Twitter: @subtledemon
Website and Blog: subtledemon.com
Other books by Connie Suttle:
Blood Destiny Series:
Blood Wager
Blood Passage
Blood Sense
Blood Domination
Blood Royal
Blood Queen
Blood Rebellion
Blood War
Blood Redemption
Blood Reunion
* * *
Legend of the Ir'Indicti Series:
Bumble
Shadowed
Target
Vendetta
Destroyer
* * *
High Demon Series:
Demon Lost
Demon Revealed
Demon's King
Demon's Quest
Demon's Revenge
Demon's Dream
* * *
God Wars Series:
Blood Double
Blood Trouble
Blood Revolution
Blood Love
Blood Finale
* * *
Saa Thalarr Series:
Hope and Vengeance
Wyvern and Company
* * *
First Ordinance Series:
Finder
Keeper
BlackWing
SpellBreaker
* * *
R-D Series:
Cloud Dust
Cloud Invasion
Cloud Rebel
* * *
Latter Day Demons Series:
Hot Demon in the City
A Demon's Work is Never Done
A Demon's Due*
* * *
Seattle Elementals Series:
Your Money's Worth*
*Forthcoming
Contents
To Walter, Joe, Sarah, Larry, Lee. Dianne and Mark
Acknowledgements
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 1
Lexsi
Kory lay beside me, a lock of wayward, dark hair falling across his forehead as he breathed evenly in his sleep. I knew he'd wake with a start if I touched his face to smooth the hair back, so I didn't. Shoving that urge aside, I slipped out of bed, grabbed a robe and skipped into the kitchen for coffee and food.
No, we hadn't done anything except sleep for twenty hours—we were too exhausted. The whole kiss-and-bite thing still lay between us, after all. I admit that it was nice to have his arms around me when I fell asleep. I felt comforted and safe, at least for a while.
I drank a third cup of coffee while the remnants of a plate of eggs and bacon lay on the island in front of me.
Anita shuffled into the kitchen. I turned to look at her.
She muffled a scream before hauling me into her arms and dancing around the kitchen, while I swayed in her embrace like a favorite rag doll.
When she finally accepted that I was alive, she set me down and frowned severely.
"Kory's asleep in my bed. No, we didn't do anything," I held up a hand.
"Watson's gone," she turned away.
"Oh, no," I whispered. "I am so sorry." I reached for her hand and squeezed it.
"I guess we'll never know how or when," Anita turned back to me, her eyes misty.
"Sit down; I'll fix you coffee and breakfast." I stood while Anita sat.
"Is that young guy really Jamie Rome?" Anita asked as I pulled eggs and bacon from the fridge and lit the fire under the skillet.
"Yeah. There's something you ought to know, too," I said while shoving a pan of bacon under the broiler, then cracking eggs.
"What's that?"
"Well, the guy posing as Jamie Rome—when I saw him at Hannah's party?"
"Yeah?"
"If that was a spell, I should have nullified it, right?"
"True," Anita nodded after considering my words for a moment.
"Well, same for the real Jamie Rome. If he only looked like that from a warlock's spell, I should have seen the real thing."
"Also true."
"Now, the people posing as real criminals in prisons—I don't doubt for a second that they're victims of a duplication spell. Jamie Rome, on the other hand, what was done to him is illegal in both Alliances and on most worlds that don't belong to an Alliance."
"A brain transfer."
"Yeah."
"So Laurel wasn't taking any chances, was she?"
"Not with him, no. I have no idea how long the real Jamie Rome was chained in her closet, either."
"I put him in Kory's room," Anita sighed. "So he could sleep and not be disturbed by the werewolves. Thomas and Davis left last night with three agents who survived; he said they had things to sort out and wanted to connect with spies in Colombia concerning the events in Peru. Something about seeing who was killed here and who got away."
"I hope we got the bastard warlock, but I'm not betting on it," I said. "My money's on the possibility that there's more than one. Maybe more than two."
"Not good for us," Anita grumped. "Whoever was in charge last night had Kory dancing in circles. Somebody planned that whole attack very, very well. What they weren't expecting in all this was you—and what you ended up doing."
"Yeah." I was still coming to grips with what I'd done, and still wondered how it was possible.
"A mix of your heritage, maybe?" Anita almost read my mind.
"It's possible." I slid eggs over easy onto a plate and pulled broiled bacon from the oven. "Want toast?"
"Sure."
"How's the cleanup going in the city?" I asked.
"Lots of businesses forced to close. Some buildings can't be saved—they're a total loss. Nearly sixty people dead—more than that injured. Rome Enterprises has been officially shut down by the Feds—they're being investigated by everybody, including the Securities and Exchange Commission. Authorities are trying to calm people down—a bunch of them are convinced it's the beginning of Ar
mageddon."
"Armageddon. Right." I hesitated for a second. "So the SEC is investigating that whole investment thing the Romes had going?"
"Yeah. Davis was on the phone for an hour before he left last night. I think he was talking to his boss, the Secretary of Defense, and probably the President at the same time."
"So we're out of a job, even if we didn't formally resign or get fired," I mused.
"Looks that way."
"I'm not brokenhearted over it."
"Me, either."
"Ah, young one. I am most pleased to see you," Klancy glided into the kitchen.
"Hi, Klancy. I'm glad to see you, too." I moved to give him a hug.
"We are missing a werewolf," Klancy said, his face a mask.
"Anita told me. This sucks. What about Tibby?" I thought to ask.
"His cousin Martin was killed, but he and Diego survived."
"I wish you could have seen them attack Milton," I said.
"Perhaps that is a story you could tell us soon. Mason and I must go to bed—Dawn will be here shortly."
"Sure," I shrugged. "Whenever you want."
When the door to Klancy and Mason's bedroom closed, I blew out the breath I'd been holding.
"We have deaths to mourn," I sighed.
"And to avenge." Anita lifted her coffee cup and drank.
* * *
"Is there anything to eat?" James Rome Jr., in a much younger body, stepped tentatively into the kitchen. No doubt, the scent of food woke him. He had close-cropped dark hair, dark eyes with sleep still in them and a bit of stubble that only made him more handsome in his current incarnation.
"Have a seat," I said. "I'll fix something for you. Want coffee, milk or juice?"
"All three?"
"Yup. Have a seat."
"What happened to you?" Anita asked as Jamie gulped the glass of milk I'd set in front of him.
"Laurel," he muttered without bothering to hide his anger. "I don't know where she met Deris Arden or Berke Gillson, but I ended up getting screwed by both. It wasn't a pleasant experience."
"We know about Deris," I said. "Three eggs or four?"
"Four, please. Berke, well, you see what he looked like," Jamie tapped his chin. "Laurel and he were fucking like bunnies until I caught them. Before I could file for divorce, Deris placed a spell until the doctor showed up."
The word doctor was spit from his mouth, as if it left a bad taste there. "Now, somebody else who looks like me is destroying Rome Enterprises, while fucking my ex."
"Oh, they're doing more than that," Anita said. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Rome Enterprises is shut down while being investigated by every government agency in the country. Probably a few foreign ones, too. Know anything about an investment thing in Peru?"
"Nothing," Jamie shook his head. "I've been in that fucking closet for months."
"I'm surprised they didn't lay an obsession," Anita snorted.
"They tried. It didn't work because of my brother," he began.
"Your brother did what? Who is he?"
"He doesn't live on Earth anymore. I know that sounds crazy," he held up a hand.
"No it doesn't. Lexsi and I aren't from here," Anita explained. "We know about Alliances and other worlds."
"My brother made sure I wasn't susceptible to obsession or compulsion. Said it was a gift from him to me. When Laurel and her new buddies tried it, it didn't work. They only kept me alive because I had information about the company that they needed and nobody else knew. They'd trade food for knowledge."
"And starved you the rest of the time." I set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him, then pulled jam and butter from the fridge to put on his toast.
"Uh-hmm," he mumbled around a mouthful of food.
"We're pretty sure Laurel had Abe and Donna Raven killed, because they didn't want to invest in whatever Laurel has going," I said.
Jamie stopped chewing for a moment and closed his eyes. I understood then that he'd been close friends with them.
"Eat your breakfast; the rest of this can wait," I said, motioning for him to go back to his food. With a nod, he piled more scrambled eggs on his fork and shoveled them into his mouth.
Looked like Jamie had deaths to avenge, just as Anita and I did.
* * *
Kordevik
I woke alone. That wasn't part of my plan. Instead of Lexsi pressed against me, I had a pillow.
Huge difference.
Yeah, I had morning wood.
Big morning wood.
I considered that a sign that my Thifilathi was healed of its wounds. Thifilathis tended to heal quickly, but a wing hole was dangerous if I chose to fly before it healed.
Baby, where are you? I sent.
In the kitchen, talking to Anita and Jamie Rome.
I'll be there in a few.
I was planning a shower and a date with my hand, first.
* * *
Lexsi
Barry called before Kory was out of the shower.
"I guess you heard," he said. I could tell he was depressed about his job.
"Yeah. Say, has anyone heard from George?"
"Yes, I called him earlier," Barry confirmed. I breathed a relieved sigh—I was concerned that Claudia's bunch would kill him outright. I worried about the obsessions and/or compulsions laid on both, however.
"All funds are frozen, so there won't be paychecks on Friday," Barry went on.
"That's all right; my Aunt left me some money to live on until I find another job," I said. "That means I'm turning in my notice."
"Then you got lucky. There's no word from the Romes, so I have to lay everybody off until further notice."
"I understand. Good luck, Barry."
"Thanks."
"You'll get a call, too," I blinked at Anita after ending the call. She'd listened to my side of the conversation from her seat at the island.
"No word from the Romes," Jamie mimicked sarcastically. He'd heard that part, at least.
"I can't wait to explain this to Davis and Thomas," I said. "That we have James Rome, Jr., right here in my aunt's house, while his wife does who knows what in Peru."
"Ex-wife," Jamie corrected me. "That idiot she's with is married to her, now."
"You let him do that, you give up your stake in the company," Anita pointed out.
"Yeah. There's that," he jerked his head in a nod.
"I think we can feed you and scrounge up clothes in the meantime," I changed the subject. Jamie looked as if he'd like his hands on Laurel's neck right then. The truth was, I wanted my hands on her neck, too, and there was no telling what Kory, Klancy or some of the others might do to her.
Anita, on the other hand—she intended to avenge Watson's death. "We should give Laurel to Anita," I said aloud.
"Huh?" Jamie's head swiveled in my direction.
"Because she will exact revenge," I shrugged.
"Oh, yeah." Anita nodded.
* * *
Kordevik
My cell phone rang the moment I stepped out of the shower. Tucking a towel around my waist, I lifted the phone to see who was calling.
Davis.
"Hello?" I said.
"We need to see you and Lexsi," he said. "Anita, too."
"Where and when?"
"We'll drop by the house. We'll have two others with us. Any chance of getting lunch?"
"I can check with Lexsi," I said.
"Anything will do—we're on a tight schedule."
"All right. I'll call back if lunch is a problem."
"Thanks."
Davis ended the call. Tossing the phone on Lexsi's bed, I went in search of clothing.
* * *
Lexsi
"Baby?" Kory's greeting was a question.
"Oh. Hey," I said, suddenly self-conscious. "Want breakfast?" I turned toward the stove.
"Yeah." He was behind me, wrapping his arms about me. He'd had a shower and smelled fresh. Good.
Amazing.
"Just eggs and bacon," he breathed on my nape. I froze in his arms.
It's okay—I'm backing off, he reassured me and let me go. "Davis and Thomas are on their way with two guests, and are asking for lunch," he said aloud.
"Oh. I can make flatbread pizzas," I said.
"They'd probably love that." Kory grinned, silently telling me everything was all right.
Ten minutes later, the flatbread pizzas were ready for the oven when the doorbell rang. "That'll be Davis," Kory said and loped toward the front door.
It wasn't Davis.
Anita almost shrieked when a woman walked in, holding an injured Watson up. He was bloody and limping. The woman was covered in his blood and some of her own.
"You're Anita?" the woman lifted her eyes to Anita's face.
Yes, I was terrified that she and Anita would fight one another for Watson, who needed medical treatment instead of a catfight.
"Yes," Anita nodded slowly.
"I'm Watson's sister," she said. "Can you help me get him to bed? He challenged Claudia and killed her. That's when my bastard husband attacked him, so we both killed him. It's all legal, according to Pack law."
"Let me," Kory offered. Watson hadn't lifted his head—that's how bad off he was. I could hear his labored breathing from several feet away. I watched as Kory lifted Watson in his arms and carried him easily down the hall, while Anita and Watson's sister followed.
It wasn't time to ask questions—Watson needed help and fast.
* * *
Kordevik
"I hope one of you has medical training," I said when I answered the door and found Davis, Thomas and two others on the porch.
Thomas and one of the strangers nodded. "I have an injured werewolf," I said as I led the way toward Watson's bedroom. "Got beat up pretty bad. I think he has a broken leg, too."
* * *
"I'm Opal Tadewi," the only woman in the group introduced herself to Watson. She was American Indian, with lovely, dark eyes and long, black hair she'd braided down her back. Her last name—Tadewi—meant wind woman.
Watson blinked at her; he was in pain—that was easy enough to see. Anita and Watson's sister, Sandra, were still cleaning away the blood and assessing the damage. Sandra moved aside when Opal stepped toward the bed.
"I hope you can set a broken leg," Watson hissed as Anita cleaned out a deep bite on his shoulder.