Demons in Disguise: The Divinicus Nex Chronicles: Book Three

by A and E Kirk

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good. They’re so excited. But the other thing is, while I know you lost yours, she wants to know where you got your necklace. She thinks her granddaughter will love the way it lights up. I didn’t even know it lit up.”

  I froze. “When did she see it do that?”

  “When you were preforming CPR, my brilliant, chip-off-the-old-block daughter. You made me so proud. I’ve been telling everyone at the hospital that—”

  “Dad, when exactly did she see it light up?”

  “Oh, well, she said it happened right before Cyrus started breathing again. It was like, and I quote, ‘an angel flashing into the room and bringing about his resurrection’ unquote.” He smiled. “Love her, but she’s a little dramatic.”

  Maybe. Maybe not.

  Just before Old Man Cyrus’s ticker had started up again, I’d felt something that I didn’t think was my power. Was it the umbra stone’s that had zapped him back to life? My hand went automatically to my throat, but the necklace wasn’t there.

  “So can I tell her where you got it?” Dad asked.

  “Um, at some flea market,” I said. “So don’t think I can help.”

  “That’s too bad. She’ll be disappointed. Well, don’t want to disappoint the Lahey Clan. Gotta go. Love you.” He kissed the top of the head. “Oh, and Ayden said he’s ready in ten. He’ll call you from downstairs. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Ha ha. In fact, don’t do anything at all, if you know what I—”

  “Dad!”

  “I’m leaving!”

  He did. I zipped up my parka to fight the cold lingering in my room and in anticipation of the date, stuffing the mysterious note into my pocket to show Ayden later. Then I went back to the sketchbook.

  Cristiano had drawn the scene of me with the necklace on the lake over and over. Different angles, some with Razorbeak Rick while Cristiano and Horus stood behind him with guns, along with close-ups of my face, the necklace. He seemed to be obsessed with that moment and the umbra stone. Kind of like…

  Jane. The Novo patient kidnapped by Bill and Ted.

  Cristiano had written her name on a page with multiple sketches of the umbra stone. He’d written Bill and Ted’s names too, followed by, Who? The question mark had been retraced repeatedly to the point that the paper had ripped through. Armani’s frustration seemed to rise off the page and into my finger as I traced it over the question mark.

  “No, no, no.” Ayden appeared at my side and slapped the sketch book closed. “Date night. No demon-Mandatum related anything.”

  “I was just looking at it until you called me outside.”

  “I did. Several times.” Ayden took my hand. “Come on.”

  He’d set up in a private corner of our backyard near the gate to the alley, far away from prying eyes. No moon, but stars twinkled in the clear night sky.

  He’d shoveled out a spot in the snow, walls of white surrounding us like a cocoon, and he’d lined the perimeter with a zillion huge candles buried into the ice. As I arrived, he made a brilliant show of shooting fire from his fingertips, sending a comet of orange-red flame circling around, illuminating the scene with a romantic glow.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  I shook my head in wondrous awe. “I love it.”

  We lounged on a blanket, a plastic tarp beneath it to ward away the wet and chilly grass. Although the blizzard had passed, temperatures remained near freezing. Our breath fogged in the flickering candlelight, which is why I’d bundled up. He didn’t, since the glacial temperatures rarely bothered him. What can I say? He ran hot. I giggled at the thought while nibbling on a chocolate covered strawberry and sipping sparkling cider from champagne flutes.

  Very classy.

  I watched him as he poured himself another glass. He wore a buttondown rather than his usual T-shirt, and he had rolled up the sleeves. His jaw was back to smooth and freshly shaven. A less rugged appearance, but no less handsome.

  I put my chilly hands in my pockets and felt the crisp edge of the parchment. A touch of unease skittered through my chest. I opened my mouth to tell him about it, but paused, gave it a second thought, and took a swig of the apple cider instead.

  I was pretty sure the note would fall under the demon-Mandatum related category. So would my questions about Jane. Where had Bill and Ted taken her? Why? Did she know how the umbra stone worked? Could we maybe take a quick trip to Paris to help Cristiano find mine? Ayden did have a jet.

  The cider bubbles spilled over the rim and down the sides of Ayden’s flute, wetting his hand. He shook off the excess, then put his long slender fingers in his mouth and licked them clean. It was an extremely sensual gesture. He looked up and caught me staring.

  “Sorry,” I said, flustered.

  “Don’t be. I like the look.”

  I glanced at my bulky ski jacket. “It’s a real fashion statement.”

  “No,” he said quietly. “The look in your eyes.”

  A blush rushed up my neck. My fingers picked fuzz off the blanket beneath us. “Oh. That.”

  He put the tip of a finger under my chin and lifted my eyes to his, pinpricks of scarlet emerged in the brown depths. “Yeah. That.”

  He kissed me, soft and light, but his lips lingered for a long, sweet moment.

  When he pulled away, my eyes remained closed for several seconds more, reveling in the delicious emotions tingling through my body. When I finally opened my eyes, the intensity in his gaze had me blushing all over again.

  I cleared my throat. “So why aren’t we having this picnic in the sanctuary?”

  He smiled and sat back. “Maybe because your parents won’t let you leave the property yet?”

  “There is that.”

  “Plus, I don’t want you anywhere near that place while until we’re sure Heather didn’t leave anything dangerous down there.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Although, maybe we could have our date and search for any booby traps Heather might’ve left, then later even have time to research the umbra stone. But somehow I didn’t think that was the date night Ayden was hoping for.

  “What about inside my house?” I said. “Where it’s safe and there’s heat. The Lahey tribe is gone for at least another few hours.”

  He flashed me a roguish grin. “Challenging me to keep you warm?”

  “No that wasn’t—”

  “I accept.”

  “Of course you do.”

  He curled his fingers down between mine and latched our hands together. His hand on my cheek slipped into my hair, and he pulled my mouth to his.

  This kiss wasn’t light and sweet.

  This kiss was hot, like the fire burning upon us. A kiss that blazed full of passion and heart and promise.

  Acknowledgements:

  A huge thanks to all our incredible fans. We appreciate how much you love us even when we disappear into the Hex Boys’ world for weeks on end. It motivates us to work faster in our fantasy land!

  As always, a shout out to our incredible editor, The Sage. Thank you for sticking with us during this trying year. Your insights and wisdom were a welcome respite from the crazy, and always help us turn our story into something better than we ever could have imagined!

  Thanks to Cheryl for always making our “interior design” look amazing!

  Elena Dudina gave us another fabulous cover. Love the dark twist!

  And, of course, Mark, husband and dad, who always has the right words to say when we think we can't ever finish another book!

  THE KIRK CLAN Street Team

  Here’s where we give huge thanks to our most awesome International Street Team! You ladies are incredibly fabulous and provide hilarious, hexy support. We've learned so much from you!

  A special shout out to our Hextraordinary Street Team Leader, ISABELLE CRUSOE, who runs the show with humor, love, creativity, and amazing organization!

  Our endless appreciation to all of our Clan! You are family and you are the best!!!r />
  Abbigail T

  Aldii C

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  Alison B

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  Bryanna M

  Cierra-Nicole C

  Claudia E

  Devyani C

  Ealee T

  Emily M

  Emily S

  Emily W

  Felicity

  Jessica C

  Jessica R

  Katherine A

  Katrin J

  Laura R

  Madison C

  Maria V

  Maria L

  Mel G

  Michelle P

  Naomi P

  Natalie C

  Samatha C

  Sandy A

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  Wicked K

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  Zussette A

  About the Authors

  This mother-daughter duo were in and out of inter-dimensional paranormal prisons until they finally quit making up cover stories for secret societies and started writing novels. The Supernatural Continuum Warlords of the Supernatural Continuum Warlordian High Command had pity upon them, and instead of having them slaughtered by the slow, tortuous flesh eating underwater, earthworm squid, they transported them into a habitationally friendly dimension called OOARCHTOHUTHLAMADILFRUMP, also known as 21st Century Earth. Due to a demon infestation in their sleepy mountain California town, and a lack of sexy Hex Boys to stop them, Alyssa and Eileen were forced to relocate to Los Angeles.

  The Amazon best sellers, DEMONS AT DEADNIGHT, is book one in the DIVINICUS NEX CHRONICLES series, and the first of their exclusive re-creations of supernatural society secrets. DROP DEAD DEMONS is the second in the series, equally thrilling and heart-stopping! You can uncover more paranormal, inter-dimensional classified information at AEKIRK.com and Facebook.com/AandEKirk. Citizens of Earth, you are welcome.

  Excerpt from Drop Dead Demons

  CHAPTER 1

  I’d been hogtied, then shanghaied, and that led to my current state of whole-lotta petrified, trapped in a small, dark space, drenched in cold sweat, shivering, waiting for my way-too-short life to flash before my eyes. Trust me, when I’d fantasized about getting “jumped” on tonight’s date, this was so not what I had in mind.

  If I thought the dark cloth hood over my head had started me in panic mode, the fact that I was now trapped in the trunk of a car boosted the panic by exponential factors. I knew the kidnapping drill, and all the experts agreed that you never get in the car because once you’re in the car you’re dead.

  Well, tortured first to the point you wished you were dead. Then dead. For real. That’s me, Aurora Lahey, always the optimist.

  I rubbed my cheek against the rough carpet lining the trunk until the hood slipped off. Didn’t help much. Probably because a generous chunk of my long red curls had been shoved into my mouth along with a gritty rag that tasted like rotten fruit wrapped in a yummy layer of sweaty socks.

  I tried to Zen it out, forcing deep, shaky breaths through my nose, the humid air thick with musty odors of metal and rubber. Muted light came through the red glow of tail lights, but I couldn’t see much.

  Didn’t matter. I knew where I was. Parking lot of Sapori d'Italia, the only Italian restaurant in the Southern California mountain town of Gossamer Falls, where I’d been stood-up by my ever-elusive, possibly-pretend boyfriend who was at least supposed to definitely be my bodyguard.

  It was a classic, age-old story. Girl with sucky superpower of tracking demons through psychic visions needs protection from aforementioned demons and their ravenous attempts to flay her alive, but she doesn’t want to arouse the suspicion of her thankfully clueless family.

  Sooooo…what to do?

  In my case, the answer came in the form of Ayden Ishida, an uber-delicious package of fiercely formidable demon hunter, smokin’ hot because of both his swoon-worthy good looks and the fact that he controlled fire, who offered to pose as my enamored beau, and despite the fact that I knew it was all a ruse, I was falling hard and head-over-heels crazy about him, and frankly — deep breath, Aurora — I thought he was too, but lately he’d been more absent than attentive, canceling plans and disappearing without explanation, so when he’d insisted on an official date for tonight with just the two of us, I’d let my hopes soar heavenward.

  So, naturally, I ended up hogtied in hell.

  I realized this wasn’t the optimum time to be contemplating my love life, because, let’s face it, if the life part was soon to be snuffed out, the love aspect wouldn’t matter much. But seriously, what guy makes a big hullabaloo about us finally having time alone then cancels last minute?

  Granted, Ayden sent four other guys from his demon hunting team, known as the Hex Boys, in his stead, but lotta good they’d been, happily chowing down on garlic-infused delights while I was snatched during a trip to the restaurant bathroom.

  Sure, I’d landed a few good licks, but ultimately, my attacker had gotten the better of me—gag, hood, arms zip-tied behind my back—and now I was trapped in the trunk of a car.

  Lamb, meet slaughter.

  Chapter Two

  The only plus to my present perilous situation was that, based on the feel of his body— hadn’t gotten a look at his face—my abductor was human. Not normally one’s definition of good in this kind of impending-doom situation, but for a gal usually in some sort of demon deathological situation, my bright sides tend to be warped at best.

  As to the culprit’s identity, I had plenty of options. Someone working for a demon, someone on Madame Cacciatori’s Divinicus Nex extraction team, someone working for the Mandatum traitor trying to assassinate me, or even a good old-fashioned, random serial killer. I was hoping for the latter.

  Focus, Aurora. You were trained for this. Kind of. Okay, not really.

  I tucked my knees to my chest, then ignored the scream of my shoulders as I wriggled and twisted my restrained wrists past my butt, legs, and around my feet. Yay, me. Small victory but I’d take it. I ripped out the gag. Huge, deep, beautiful breaths sucked in.

  A few of weeks of the Hex Boys’ so-intense-it-should-have-killed-me training didn’t much count when this is where I ended up. Matthias was so going to never let me live this down. He’d been constantly on my case about how well I wasn’t doing. But I’d take the ragging.

  Just had to survive first.

  I was still cramped — it was a trunk after all — my long legs having zero chance of stretching out. The plastic ties were boa constrictor tight around my wrists, but I’d deal with that later. Getting out before the car started and headed for this psycho’s Chamber of A-Million-and-One Tortures was top of my to-do list. My hands groped. Found a crowbar. And if it was a late model car it should have a—

  Bingo.

  I slipped shaking fingers into a death grip around the trunk’s release latch and struggled to steady my breathing because my ragged inhalations made it a tad difficult to listen for movement outside. I needed to make sure the attacker wasn’t waiting next to the car ready to snafu my big escape plan.

  All seemed quiet.

  Still cautious, I dragged my forearm across my sweat-ridden brow, took a deep breath —which almost ended in a cough — and pulled down the latch, easing slowly against the resistance until…

  In the silence, even the soft pop of the latch releasing sounded like a rocket launch. I cringed and caught the trunk before it sprung fully open, keeping it lifted only a crack. Frigid air scuttled in, turning the already cold sweat on my skin to an ice rink and giving credence to the weatherman’s forecast of a spring snowstorm. My breath fogged into the air as I peeked out, eyes darting across my limited field of vision.

  It was quiet and dark in this distant end of the parking lot. Secluded from the road and the restaurant. Only a few quick steps from the edge of the eerie forest with all its creepy shadows and sounds.

  In this isolated area, light was spotty at best. Casting
deep shadows across the parking lot, a hulking yellow snowplow loomed to my left along with a tow truck a few aisles up. Not to mention the multitude of meaty, man-sized pickup trucks and SUVs that every mountain-loving family — except the Laheys — seemed to own, standing Paul Bunyan tall amongst the baby sedans.

  I didn’t like being this far from the restaurant and the Hex Boys, but I was fast, and once I was out of the trunk, I’d book it full-throttle to safety. I just had to make sure the coast was cl—

  Someone stood a few yards away.

  My throat garbled some terror-ridden noise. I panicked, twitched, and lost my precarious grip on the trunk lid.

  It started to rise.

  I groped, frantic to stay silent. In my peripheral vision, I couldn’t see details, but the single dark figure had his back to me.

  Lucky.

  He started to turn around.

  Not so lucky. If he saw me now, he’d just slam me back inside. Probably conk me over the head first.

  I pressed my lips together to silence the whimpering, caught the edge of metal, and brought the lid back down, low enough so it seemed closed, but not so low that it re-latched. Oh, the subtleties of surviving a kidnapping were intricate indeed.

  Then I held my breath. Waited. Ready to kick the trunk open if it sounded like he was coming, which I may not even be able to hear over the erratic pounding of my heart or the whitewater rapids of blood roaring through my ears. Sweat dripped into my eyes. I blinked to cut the sting.

  After precious seconds passed without disaster striking, I cracked open the trunk again, raising it only high enough to see the back of his thighs. He wore dark pants, seemed sturdy and powerful — to my distress — but he hadn’t moved — to my relief — and he was turned away from me — another plus.

  I licked my salty lips. Squinted. He was about three or four strides away. I could do this. I was fast enough. I had to be.

  I counted to three— Okay, maybe it was eight…or even twelve, but who’s counting? Oh, right, that would be me. Well, at the count of whatever number it was when my guts finally overpowered my sheer terror, I sprung the lid and leapt out swinging.