Lucifer's Daughter

by Kel Carpenter

  “Hey! I said why the fuck you laughin’?” He raised his voice, moving the gun like he was going to slam the butt of it into my head.

  Bandit didn’t take kindly to most people, and he sure as hell didn’t tolerate wannabe thugs attacking me. In the time it took to cock his hand back, my raccoon flung at him, landing on his face with his claws out and teeth snapping.

  I grabbed the wrist of his hand that was holding the gun. No way was I going to let him start firing that thing blindly. He screamed while Bandit bit down on his nose.

  “Motherfucker!” he cried.

  Yeah, kid, you’re a mother fucking idiot. I slammed my knee into his groin. As I stepped to the side, he fell forward, his hand losing its grip on the gun, dropping it to the ground.

  “That’s enough,” I said to Bandit. Even hissing and spitting, he listened to me, detaching himself from the kid’s face. With considerable force, I brought my elbow down on the base of his skull. He let out a muffled cry and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

  I squatted down and picked up the gun. Hopefully, that taught the kid a lesson in trying to rob people, but just in case, I was confiscating the weapon. He didn’t need to be running around killing people in alleyways. If I was an unforgiving demon, he wouldn’t be leaving this encounter alive.

  I reached over and turned his head to the side. The punk had some pretty gnarly scratches that would need stitches, and his entire nose was gone. I glanced over at Bandit. Next to him lay the boy’s chunk of nose, with the cow ring still in it.

  Ouch. With one hand, I dug my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911.

  “Operator. What’s your emergency?” I rattled off the street location and left it at that. The cops would find him soon enough and take him to a hospital to get his nose reattached. I didn’t want to feel any guilt over his injuries. I mean, he was going to rob me. I seriously doubt he would have killed me, but you never know.

  I sighed, letting go of the blame as I turned to Bandit. His teeth were bared, still hissing at the unconscious boy. He didn’t even notice me until I shuffled a foot or two closer, both hands held out, palms open.

  “Come here, boy,” I murmured. I made little shh sounds until he calmed enough to run up my arm and perch himself on my shoulder. The pricks of his claws stung a bit, but I ignored it as I rose to my feet.

  I gathered my purse and stored the gun in my waistband, ready to go home and see this day to an end. As I turned to leave the alleyway, I saw that Rysten had made good on his promise. With him was Allistair and another male demon that radiated immense power, even from several yards away.

  Shit.

  “Hey, there…” I said awkwardly, trying to figure out how to go for the gun without being obvious. Unlike the kid that attacked me, I was smart enough to know when I was overpowered.

  They started walking towards me and I panicked, grabbing for the gun.

  I held it up, aiming at the three of them, not realizing how much space they’d crossed while I was pulling it out. Only three feet away from the barrel, they surrounded me in a semi-circle.

  “Don’t come any closer!” I said. My hands visibly shook, making the barrel wobble about unsteadily.

  “We’re not here to hurt you, Ruby,” Rysten said. He held up his hands in a show of surrender, but I wasn’t a fool. Any demon worth their salt didn’t need their hands.

  “Who are you and why the fuck are you following me?” I demanded, swinging the gun towards Allistair as he took a step closer. He looked much the same as yesterday, with his tailored suit and styled hair. But his eyes…he looked pissed from the moment I saw him. Great. I’m going to be incubus dinner.

  “Ruby, it’s time to calm down,” Allistair said. His eyes glowed amber and a sudden ease spread through me. I lowered the head of the gun slowly, until it was pointed at his knee instead of between his eyes. “That’s right, just calm down. It’s all going to be alright.” The drowsiness intensified, and it was only Bandit’s hissing that brought back a modicum of clarity.

  “Stop trying to persuade me, demon, or I will blow your fucking knee cap out,” I threatened, knowing full well he could probably kill me before that ever came to pass.

  “Allistair, back up. You’re making her nervous,” the third one said. I turned my eyes on him, only to be struck by the similarities he and Rysten shared. His hair was the lightest shade of blonde I’d ever seen; so blonde it could pass for white. They had the same dark green eyes and light skin, but where Rysten had this hot-boy-next-door thing, this guy had an edge of beauty that was intense. His cheek bones were sharper. His teeth, whiter. His skin didn’t have a single imperfection, and the power that rolled off him was not something that wanted to be contained. Couldn’t be contained. That insight was all it took for the barrel of the gun to go from Allistair to the unknown guy in front of me. Panic surged at the swell of power that threatened to consume me, making the air hard to breathe. Bandit trembled against my shoulder. His fear consumed me, feeding into my own.

  Without realizing it, I pulled the trigger, shooting him right between the eyes.

  He didn’t even bat an eyelash as it popped right out of his head and clanged against the asphalt. The gun slipped from my fingers and I choked out the only words I could manage to process.

  “Who are you?”

  “The world knows me as Death, but you can call me Julian.”

  Holy. Shit. Devil have me, because I think my brain just short-circuited.

  “Is this the part where you kill me?” I blurted. I couldn’t stop the word vomit that came after. “Because if you do, please don’t hurt Bandit. He’s a good raccoon, really. My friend Moira says she doesn’t like him, but she really does, and she would take care of him and everything—”

  “We’re not here to kill you, Ruby,” Rysten said.

  “What?” I asked, looking between the three faces. My eyes landed on the one I’d shot. Julian.

  “We’re here to protect you, Ruby, and right now, that means we need to get out of here,” he said.

  “So you can kidnap me,” I stated bluntly. Allistair growled under his breath, making me jump back. Julian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Sirens blared in the distance.

  “No, because you called the police to help the worthless human,” Julian said. I blinked, only then registering where he was going. “You don’t want to be found here with your raccoon that tore his nose off, his gun in your hands, and him unconscious,” he continued slowly, as though he was giving instructions to a child.

  “Right,” I drawled. I picked up the gun, flicked the safety on, and tucked it in my waistband. Rysten bent down and retrieved the bullet, putting it in his pocket.

  “You okay, love?” he asked. I glared up at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Cut it out, Rysten. We need to get her home,” Julian said. I turned my incredulity on him.

  Take me home?

  “I can take myself home just fine,” I said stiffly.

  “No.”

  No? Who the hell did he think he was?

  I opened my mouth to argue and he stepped forward into my bubble of ill-conceived safety. Standing close to that cold persona, that raw power staring down at me, every word I had just dried up.

  “You have two choices: I can either throw you over my shoulder and carry you to your home, or we can drive there. Your decision,” he said.

  Was he joking? No. Definitely not joking.

  “Drive,” I ground out. I think the ghost of a smirk crossed his lips as we left the alleyway.

  **Julian**

  She shot me.

  And then she begged for the life of a raccoon.

  I didn’t know whether I should be amused or frustrated. Rysten wasn’t wrong. She was not what I expected. We hid her for almost twenty-three years. From everyone. Including ourselves. It would be foolish to think that we know her, or even understand her, after we left her on earth with the humans.

  Not a day went by that I did not look f
orward to finally coming for her.

  But I didn’t expect to mourn the loss of time.

  We had only seen her briefly. She was only a babe, not even an hour old, before her mother took her. Now…

  I couldn’t deny it. She was all grown up.

  I adjusted the rearview mirror in her direction and those brilliant blue eyes met mine. The center was so light, nearly white, but they fanned out into cobalt flames before fading to black. I don’t know how she stayed hidden for so long when the dark look in her eyes screamed of trouble.

  Ruby was not a little girl, and we’d never known her as one. She was a grown woman. No. She was a grown she-demon who had yet to go through the transition. That made her vulnerable. She could stare at me with bedroom eyes all she wanted. It was our divine duty to protect her. To guard her.

  The others may get distracted, but I wouldn’t.

  Even if a single look from her had me hard.

  Chapter 5

  The heavy silence while I sat in the back of my own car was crushing me. Julian had insisted on driving. With one look, he made me hand over the keys to my 1995 VW bug…and then moved the seat for me to get in the back. It was probably for the best, given that Bandit was riding on my lap, but I wasn’t going to tell them that.

  At least they gave me a choice about who rode in the back with me. Not that it really saved me. Rysten was just as massive as the other two and had his thigh flush against mine. As if that wasn’t enough to make me uncomfortable, he also hadn’t taken his eyes off me. Julian had purposefully moved the rearview mirror to face me instead of the back window, and I felt his gaze on me as well. Maybe he just didn’t have any kind of self-preservation like I did, given that a bullet to the head couldn’t make him blink. If I wasn’t blushing before, I definitely was now.

  I couldn’t believe that I shot him. And that he let me live.

  “Are you going to tell me who the hell you people are?” I finally asked. Bandit’s frustration was leaking through, and I was on edge. He didn’t like all the strangers in the car with us anymore than I did.

  “Soon.” Julian said. “We’ll explain it when we get to your house. Laran is almost there already.”

  “Wait, who’s Laran?”

  I probably should have been more freaked out that they knew where I lived, but given that Allistair got me out of jail before Moira could arrive, it really wasn’t that surprising.

  “Another Ho—” Rysten began, until Julian glared at him. “You’ll meet him soon enough. He’s a friend.”

  Great. Another one. Well then. I guess that’s all there was to it.

  Settling back into my seat, I held Bandit closer, stroking his fur to ease him. Blood smudged my clothes where he rubbed his face and paws. I was happy it wasn’t his, but I didn’t want to think about where it had come from. I lived fifteen minutes from the parlor and it felt like it took twice the time to get there. When we pulled into my driveway, whatever shock I felt faded away at the sight of my sleazy ex-boyfriend.

  The car rolled to a stop, but no one in my company made a move to get out. Julian and Allistair shared a look in front of me, like they were seriously considering keeping me in here. Uh…not happening.

  Not at all surprising, Josh had the nerve to walk up and tap on the window. Allistair didn’t respond. Instead, Rysten, the one I thought was the most easy-going of the three, said, “We should get rid of him.”

  “If you let me out, I will deal with it,” I said. While the thought of ‘getting rid of him’ appealed to me as much as setting Kendall’s car on fire, I was already in enough trouble with the police.

  They shared another look, but it was only when Julian shrugged that both he and Allistair actually got out of the damn car. Allistair silently held the seat forward for me. It would’ve been a kind gesture, but he barely gave me room. Forced to graze his suit as I squeezed by, my libido went into fucking overdrive. Didn’t even touch his skin. His suit. The scent of him filled my nostrils, sending tingles…

  I was breathing heavy by the time I was standing on my own two feet outside the car, and it had nothing to do with physical exertion. I glared at him, an arrogant smirk on his face.

  “Hi, Ruby,” Josh said, pulling my attention away. I turned my eyes to him and what I saw was disappointing.

  When I met him, he had this whole lost soul thing going on. He kept his hair long and was in a band. I never loved him, but he was a good person to pass the time with. Until Kendall got her claws into him. Looking at him now, it was like two different people. This Josh dressed in Polos and loafers. His hair was short and gelled back, and from five feet away, the cologne he wore was enough to make me want to gag.

  “What do you want?” I asked. I could hear the fatigue in my voice. Truth be told, I was fucking exhausted after the adrenaline high I’d already had today. I didn’t have the energy to waste on him.

  “I wanted to talk…” he started slowly, giving a pointed look at the three guys who stood behind me. I didn’t even need to look. There was tension radiating through the air. I could feel it.

  “I have nothing to say to you.” Bandit growled at him from his perch on my shoulder. Josh paled, but he didn’t back away. I sighed. Idiot boy.

  “That can’t be true, Ruby. You blew up my girlfriend’s car. I know you still care,” Josh said, even going so far as to take a step towards me. I didn’t want to step back, because it looked weak. But I was worried Bandit might actually attack him. He’d never liked Josh, and right now he was being very protective of me and wanted him gone.

  “That’s because your girlfriend’s a bitch. Don’t confuse the facts,” I said dryly. Without warning or permission, a strong arm wrapped around my waist. I tensed, worried that my raccoon’s anger was going to turn on the person who had just touched me, but it appeared that Bandit was dead set on wanting to get rid of Josh, and only Josh.

  “Is this”— he stammered—“Is this why you won’t return my calls?” He motioned to the beautiful trio of men, his eyes bulging out. I could see what was coming next. “You wouldn’t even have sex with me, and you have—”

  My eyes flashed. “I’m not answering your calls because you and I are no longer dating. We are not a thing. We aren’t even friends. What I do now is none of your concern.” I had to work to keep the growl out of my voice.

  Yeah, I didn’t have sex with him. I didn’t have sex with anyone because it was never a conscious choice. I could pick any guy off the street and he would fuck me then and there if I wanted, thanks to dear old Mom. So, despite my nature, I didn’t fuck anyone. And this was what I got for it.

  The boy actually had the nerve to take another step towards me. “This isn’t you, Ruby. I remember. I know you. You wouldn’t be with these”—he broke off, searching for a word that would suffice to describe the three stunning demons that were unlike anything this earth could produce. Even in his sub-conscious human mind, something registered that they were more than men—“people.” Someone snorted behind me, and I was pretty sure which one, given that only one of them had a sense of humor from what I could tell. The laughing stopped short when Josh said, “Come back to me.”

  “Why on earth would you think I am ever coming back to you?” I scoffed. I probably would have laughed had the arm around my waist not tightened slightly as he let out the tiniest of growls. It was so low I almost didn’t hear it, but it was there. I looked up to see Julian.

  My heart skipped a beat as I swallowed hard. My throat was dry and scratchy, but there was something so protective and feral about the way he looked at Josh that just made a girl wonder what a little taste of that might be like. To have a demon like Julian’s complete and utter attention…

  Pure bliss? Or pure hell?

  Somehow, I thought he might be a bit of both. They say pain is pleasure, if you know what you’re doing.

  Damnit, Ruby. You need to focus. Now isn’t the time to be thinking like a sex-deprived maniac.

  Josh cleared his throat, and I blinked.
Shit. Did he say something? I glanced back at my stuffy ex with his posh ironed khakis.

  “I made a mistake, Ruby. I’m sorry—”

  “I gotta stop you right there. We both know you’re going to go home after this, screw Kendall, and then come back another day to ‘beg’ for my forgiveness. So, can we just skip all the unnecessary bullshit, and move on like adults? Because I’m really getting tired of her taking out her issues with you”—I pointed a finger at his weak chest—“on me.”

  I had really hoped it would work this time. That being straight-forward would do the trick. Silly me, thinking that Josh could think with his brain and not his dick. He didn’t consider the words for more than four seconds before inserting his foot in in his mouth. Again.

  “Ruby. Please. Let’s just talk this out. I miss you,” he whined. Damnit. Not the whining.

  My patience was already running thin and he just stomped on the last layer that was positioned between him and the brutally frigid truth that came pouring from my lips.

  “Go home and lay in the fucking bed you made. You cheated on me. I’m not coming back to you, and this is your last warning. Move on.” The pissed off look in his eye would have been funny, but I knew he’d forget about it soon enough. Then he’d be right back here on my doorstep, begging for something he’ll never have.

  “I think it’s in your best interest that you leave now, while you still can.” The menace in this voice sent chills down my spine. I turned to the figure that came strolling up my driveway.

  Holy. Hell. His hair was so dark, it looked black…but when the light from the streetlamps hit it, I saw flashes of pure, undiluted red. He was the tallest of the four, with fierce black eyes and a savageness about him that told people he was not one to be fucked with.

  Josh took a single look at him and I thought he was going to piss himself. While they still scared the shit out of me, I’d shot one and they still haven’t killed me. That’s a pretty good reason to think they won’t. Josh didn’t have that courtesy, and if he continued to stay here running his mouth about our lack of a sex life, I might decide to say ‘fuck it’ and let Bandit at him.