Demon Lost

by Connie Suttle

  "Little thief, you need to rest." Aurelius was doing his best to settle me back into bed. We'd folded straight to the bedroom I'd awakened in earlier.

  "I feel better now," I insisted, attempting to slide off the bed. "And I stole those oxberries when I was ten."

  "Age does not mitigate the crime." Aurelius was smiling at me again and shoving me back in bed. "I once stole sweet cakes from a neighbor's cook. They'd been left to cool. I was twelve," Aurelius told me. "That is years uncounted ago, love. Still, I feel a twinge of guilt when I think about it."

  "I'll make you sweet cakes as soon as I get out of this bed," I made one last halfhearted attempt to get away. Aurelius pushed me back gently with one hand. My head flopped onto the pillow. Wrestling with Aurelius had completely worn me out.

  "I will watch you make cakes for me when you are better. Now, I only want to lie beside you and cover you as much as I can. Vampires protect the ones they love this way. My body over yours; my life given to protect yours."

  "Aurelius, you can't mean that." I reached up to brush a stray lock of dark-gold hair off his forehead. "I thought you looked like a lion with this mane the first time I saw you," I said sleepily. My weariness had come calling suddenly.

  "You saw through my disguise?" That surprised him, somehow.

  "What disguise? What did you look like?" I blinked up at him. He lowered his head and took my lips for the first time. "The real Aris was dead—killed by spawn in the desert. I took his place. He had dark hair and wasn't nearly as tall as I. I can't believe you saw right through that."

  I still tasted his kiss on my mouth. It had stirred something that hadn't wakened before that moment. I wanted him to do it again.

  "No, Reah. If I kiss you again, I might be unwilling to stop. And tasting your lips is not the only taste of you I want. That part of the vampire is still alive within me. Do not tempt me, love. I have waited a very long time for you. I will wait longer, but it will be an agony. Go to sleep. Get well soon. We have unfinished business, you and I." Warm, golden-brown eyes smiled at me. I went to sleep with the vision of his face firmly placed in my mind.

  * * *

  "I know Aurelius has a M'Fiyah—the mate recognition, but surely he will not mind if we arrange something with one of ours. We have so few females, and even a quarter blood with a full complement of gifts can bring children to the race. Only three have been born in the last two centuries." Jayd paced before Lissa, Gavin and Norian Keef. "Garde and I have discussed this with Glinda. She doesn't like it, but she sees the reason in it."

  "You want to use her to breed children? Jaydevik Rath, that child is only nineteen. Are you going to tell her that some High Demon that she doesn't love is going to sink his teeth into her neck?" Lissa was angry. It was a good thing her mate and Jayd's brother, Gardevik wasn't there at the moment. She wanted to tell him he might be going months without sharing her bed again.

  "We can introduce her to likely candidates. Who knows, she might care for one of them and one of them might care for her. We do not know this, Lissa." Jayd settled on a guest chair in Lissa's private office.

  "Well, I don't want her forced into anything. I realize that I don't hold much sway here, but Aurelius is hers. Do you want to do that to both of them?"

  "Lissa, I don't want to mistreat her, but we have so few children. I have been hoping that my daughters will conceive, or that Glinda might get pregnant again and produce more daughters. The odds are against us in this—normally High Demon females only reproduce every seventy-five to one hundred years and nothing seems to work in making it sooner than that. Even so, it is likely that a son will come instead of a daughter. What would you do, Lissa, if the vampire race was dying?"

  "Jaydevik, I would not go there with Lissa. You will lose that battle." Kifirin appeared without warning. "The vampire race was dying once before and the High Demons did nothing to prevent it, when that was their duty. Many of my dark races died because of High Demon indifference. Lissa is only trying to protect someone who deserves protection. I will tell you this: Reah will find her own way in this matter. Do not attempt to force the issue." Kifirin disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared, leaving Jayd to curse softly.

  "The god has spoken," Gavin muttered.

  * * *

  I was bored. Well and truly. That was why I was sneaking down deserted corridors, attempting to locate the palace kitchen. I had to be careful—there were guards and they were watchful. I slipped past them, wearing warm trousers and a tunic I'd found inside my closet. Yes, I was beginning to think of it as my bedroom now. Those thoughts were likely a mistake. I had no real possessions. Still, my conversation with Aurelius the day before about the theft of oxberries had given me the idea. The food at the palace was good—high quality, too, but I wanted something else. My appetite was coming back; I suppose that was a good thing. It meant I was recovering.

  The kitchen, when I found it, made me stare in delight—everything was there that I could hope for, including a bank of cold-keepers, a pantry bigger than a two-bedroom house and any convenience and appliance I could wish for. I was digging through a cold keeper and almost hopping with joy at finding yaris fish when a voice spoke right behind me, frightening an unintentional squeal from my lips.

  "Hungry? We are, too," The voice said. I was backed up against the cold keeper after I shrieked, staring at two males who were now staring at me. One was at least seven blocks tall. The other was more than half a block shorter and handsome didn't begin to describe him. He had dark hair and eyes with a lazy, beautiful smile, which was now pointed in my direction. The taller one had dark hair, blue eyes and a slight dimple that appeared as he also smiled at me.

  "S-sorry," I stuttered. Was I in trouble? They weren't dressed as guards. They didn't wear the palace uniform of black and silver. Casual might describe best how they were clothed. Their clothing was also tailored; I knew that too. Were they mates to Queen Lissa? Mates I hadn't met before? What was I to do?

  "I can cook something for you—I was about to cook some yaris fish for myself." I pulled the fish from the cold keeper.

  "I love yaris fish if it's done right," the shorter one said. "I'm Ry, this is Tory," he smacked a hand against the taller one's chest.

  "What are you two doing here? Does Lissa know?" Two more walked in and they looked exactly alike. I stared. These were Falchani, and twins. The Falchani were a warrior race and not members of the Alliance, but these two didn't seem to care about that. They were here, anyway. I'd studied Falchan and its many battles and Warlords in my history classes when I was younger.

  "We got that project done for Uncle Norian, so we came home early," the one who called himself Ry answered smoothly. Those words made me blink. These were Lissa's children? They were grown men. Looked to be in their mid-twenties at least.

  "That's Uncle Drake and Uncle Drew. I think they're hungry too," Tory said, offering me a wider grin. It transformed his face, making him just as handsome (in my opinion) as his brother.

  "We could eat," one of the Falchani nodded, slipping onto a kitchen stool at the overly large kitchen island.

  "Then I'll need more fish," I said, pulling more out of the cold keeper. They got yaris fish that night made with my own sauce, plus fresh vegetables and a good wine. I probably wasn't supposed to be drinking since the healer hadn't said I could, but it went with the meal.

  "This is like a dream. Wake me up, Tory," Ry said while rubbing his stomach.

  "Young woman, I hope you are the new cook," one of the twins said. "This is the best yaris fish I've ever eaten."

  "Are you the new cook?" Tory had hope in his eyes as he blinked at me. I was tired now but determined to clean up the mess I'd made cooking. No sense in angering the actual cook more than necessary—I'd just cleaned out half his supply of yaris fish. I hoped it wasn't something he planned to prepare for lunch the next day. Aurelius might have to help me explain my way out of that.

  "I'm not the new cook," I said, pulling Tory's empty plate awa
y to wash.

  "Then who are you? You can't have wandered in off the street—the guards would have had you in the dungeons answering questions if you were."

  "I didn't wander in off the streets." Ry's plate was next. He was still sipping his wine so I left his glass alone.

  "No, she did not wander off the streets. She wandered out of bed and Karzac will have something to say about that." Lissa now stood in the kitchen, her hands on her hips and a glare in her eyes. I was in trouble.

  "Mom, you have to taste her yaris fish—it's the best ever," Ry slid off his stool and went to give Lissa a kiss on the cheek. Tory was right behind his brother.

  "It really is the best," one of the twins offered his plate to Lissa. Only a bite or two of fish remained on it. Lissa, after giving her sons a hug, picked up a fork and tasted the fish.

  "Oh, my gosh," she chewed and swallowed. "Oh, my gosh. If you didn't need to get back in bed, I'd demand you make more of this for getting into the fish for tomorrow's lunch. As it is, I'll forgive you, since you cooked for this bunch," she nodded at the four males. "Drew, you could have sent mindspeech earlier before you ate it all." She made a face at one of the Falchani. At least I knew which was which now.

  "We thought she was the new cook. She finally said she wasn't. That's when I sent the mindspeech." Drew glanced sheepishly at the Queen.

  "Unbelievable," Lissa shook her head. "Reah, must I send for Aurelius, or do you want me to call Karzac instead? Believe me, Aurelius will be the lesser of those two evils when he finds you out of bed."

  "I can find my way back," I muttered, hanging my head.

  "We'll make sure she gets there," Ry was giving his mother the famous smile. It would make any female's heart melt, I think. I wondered what that smile had gotten him over the years.

  "Tory, please make sure Reah gets back to her bedroom without mishap," Lissa frowned at Ry. Well, Ry wasn't fooling his mother, looked like. He didn't seem to mind; he just gave her another hug and motioned for his brother and me to follow him out of the kitchen. I went before Lissa changed her mind and called for Aurelius and Karzac anyway.

  "Why are you supposed to be in bed, and why will Uncle Karzac be mad that you're not?'" Ry was full of questions the moment we left the kitchen.

  "I'm still recovering," I admitted reluctantly. "I was hungry and I wanted to cook something," I added. Both those things were true.

  "Recovering from what?" Tory asked.

  "Somebody threw a net over me," I muttered. Sarcasm might have crept into my voice. If they'd left me alone, things might have turned out better. Aurelius assumed that I was uncontrollable after I turned; two High Demons had arrived, assumed I was rogue and I'd been netted. I got angry every time I thought about it. Netting was an agony I might remember for the rest of my life.

  "They netted you? You're High Demon?" Tory's voice had a catch in it and he stopped in midstride to stare at me, a frown tugging at his mouth. Guards were nodding at us at every corner as we passed them by.

  "They tell me I'm a quarter but I have the full complement of High Demon talents, whatever that means." I'd stopped when he did, causing Ry to stop as well. "They also tell me that Queen Glindarok is my great-aunt. I don't know what to do about that." I shrugged and started walking again. Ry and Tory caught up with me in a blink.

  "Can you skip? Have they shown you that, yet?"

  "Skip?" I was looking up—far up—at Tory. He towered over me, after all.

  "Going from place to place, like skipping rocks on a pond."

  "I've never skipped rocks on a pond. I've never seen a pond. I saw oxberry vines for the first time yesterday. I spent most of my life working in a kitchen." I didn't say that those had been years filled with fear—fear of Edan Desh. The only pleasure I had was in creating new dishes to serve at the restaurant.

  "We can take you to a pond tomorrow and we'll show you how to skip rocks." Ry was making a promise.

  "When?" I said. "Karzac and Aurelius will try to stop me."

  "We'll try to take you after breakfast. How's that?" Tory smiled. I think he and his brother were used to getting into trouble over things like this.

  "You wound us, lady," Ry gave me a courtly bow. The grin on his face when he straightened was competition for the sun, I think.

  "So, you have that trick of mindreading, just like everyone else here," I said, turning away from his smile.

  "It's not hard—we can teach you that, too. Just give us a little time," Tory said. "How old are you, anyway? You look young."

  "Nineteen," I huffed. Who were they, telling me I looked young?

  "We're twenty-eight," Ry pointed to himself and then his brother. "We've been working for the ASD—Uncle Norian sends us on special assignments occasionally."

  "Ah—the ASD," I nodded, pretending knowledge I didn't have. I knew what ASD meant; I just had no idea what they actually did.

  "Here we are." How Tory knew where my bedroom was, I had no idea. "Now, go inside like a good girl, or Mom will send for Aurelius. She's sending mindspeech, saying she's saving Karzac in case you get out of bed again."

  "Is he that terrible? He's been nice to me so far."

  "You haven't disobeyed his orders before," Tory said, herding me inside the door. "And she says she's alerting all the guards. They'll be watching for you from now on. You don't want to be hauled off to Uncle Gavin or Uncle Tony. They get grumpy if they're pulled out of bed to question intruders."

  "Are you still offering to show me that skipping thing?" I looked up at Tory.

  "Bro, she thinks like we do," Tory grinned at his brother. I went inside my bedroom and closed the door.

  * * *

  "I saw her first," Tory announced. Ry stopped in his tracks and stared up at his brother. Tory never said things like that. Ever.

  "We both saw her," Ry hunched his shoulders.

  "But what about Aurelius?"

  "What about him?"

  "Ry, I don't want to interfere."

  "It won't be interfering."

  "What will Dad say?"

  "Your dad I don't know. My dad won't care."

  "Come on, bro. Let's get in bed. If we don't get some sleep, we won't be awake to show Reah how to skip rocks."

  "Fine," Ry grumped and followed his brother.

  * * *

  "Aurelius, I don't want you to be upset, but she was out of bed last night and cooking the best fish I've ever tasted." Lissa walked alongside Aurelius as he headed toward Reah's bedroom to wake her.

  "My Queen, I would like very much for you to call me next time," Aurelius held his anger in check.

  "I will. She was frightened when I mentioned calling you or Karzac. That's why I didn't," Lissa replied, not looking at Aurelius. He served as one of her advisors and often ran Council meetings with Aryn, another of her vampire mates, if she wasn't available to attend.

  "I've spoken with Norian. That brother of hers has a lot to answer for," Aurelius snapped. Lissa was surprised—Aurelius never let his emotions show like this. Gavin, his only remaining vampire child, often said that Aurelius was more of a father to him than his natural father had been. Aurelius was doing his best to protect Reah, although they weren't mated, yet. Lissa didn't want to bring up the conversation she'd had with Jayd, either. Kifirin had put a stop to Jayd's idea anyway.

  * * *

  "Reah, if you are hungry again after bedtime, send for me. I will bring something for you." Aurelius was lecturing me before I was fully awake. Somebody had told him about my adventures in the palace kitchen.

  "But it wouldn't be yaris fish and I won't have cooked it." I was pouting, I know. He'd once said to never show him that again.

  "Yes, I listened to the cook rail over the fish he was planning to cook for lunch having disappeared overnight."

  I rolled over in bed, turning my back to Aurelius and curling into a ball. If he wanted to make me feel guilty and miserable, he was doing a fine job.

  "Love, he would have butchered the fish. He is preparing a
chicken dish instead. Lissa is searching for a new cook—this one does not like the constant darkness outside and wishes to move to the light half of the planet."

  "I cooked for Ry and Tory. And Drake and Drew. That's why so much of the fish was used. I was only going to take a little. They were really hungry."

  "Reah." Covers rustled behind me as Aurelius slid into bed. An arm came around me, hugging me close. A kiss was pressed against the nape of my neck. My hair was still short. Much shorter than I ever wanted it to be. "Shhh," Aurelius said softly against my skin. I shivered.

  * * *

  "I saw you." Gavril came up beside me later as I walked next to Aurelius on our way to the dining hall.

  "Really? Which time?" He seemed so serious for a child, his dark eyes examining my face as he looked at me. He was tall for his age—as tall as I was, in fact. I could look directly into his eyes as he spoke.

  "I sneaked into the dungeon," he admitted with an uncomfortable shrug. "I saw you after Karzac and Renegar worked to heal you that first night."

  "Then that must have been a terrible sight," I sighed. "I hope it didn't frighten you."

  "I've seen Tory in Full Thifilathi. He growls and stomps through the palace. You were quiet and sleeping. Were the burns painful?"

  My eyes widened when he mentioned Tory in Full Thifilathi. Tory was High Demon. He must be Lissa's child with her High Demon mate, Gardevik. It took a moment for me to come back to Gavril's question. "As much as the burns hurt, I was more scared about being in prison when I woke," I admitted. "I am terrified of being in tight places if I can't get out. I don't remember much—just screaming at first." My face felt hot—my weakness embarrassed me. Aurelius continued to walk beside me while I spoke with Gavril. He remained silent.

  "I don't think I'd like waking up in a cell either," Gavril said, seriously considering the prospect.

  "But you wouldn't be throwing yourself against the bars because you couldn't control yourself. You seem like an intelligent and brave young man. I think you'd be working out a way to escape instead," I told him.