Daemon Uprising

by Mariah Ankenman

  Shrugging, he took a sip of his coffee. “Tweak told me to check it out.”

  “Tweak?” Unbelievable.

  Tweak was a meth addict who hung around the seedier parts of downtown—which would be most of it—looking to score whenever he could. Half the time, he was high out of his mind. The other half, just out of his mind.

  The way Tabitha heard it, Tweak had been a normal college kid. Smoked a little pot, maybe did a few others drugs now and then, but never anything too heavy or consistent. One night during a party at a friend’s house, a Cer attacked.

  A Cer was a supernatural bounty hunter. They worked for whoever paid. They had no morals, no feelings, and no sympathy. They took their bounty, handed them over, and collected the reward. Payment never came in the form of money. Cers were paid in darker ways. What exactly she didn’t know. Truthfully, she didn’t want to know. They were vile creatures without an ounce of humanity.

  Tweak escaped the attack when the house accidentally caught fire. Candles and experimental drug use do not go hand in hand. He managed to escape the blazing house with his life. The Cer, still caught inside, burned to ash. When the police arrived, they, of course, did not believe Tweak’s story. Chalking it up to a drug-induced hallucination, they threw him in jail for a few days and after that he was never the same. No one knew why the Cer came after him. Not even Tweak.

  When he got out of jail, he hit the streets and got into meth. He was a good source, if you could believe anything that came out of his mouth. Most of it was crap, but occasionally some turned into viable information. Being exposed to the supernatural world ripped a hole in a person’s view of the world. Sometimes that person could never un-see the darkness. No matter how many drugs they shoved into their system. A bum on the street could learn a lot about the seedy under workings of the city.

  “We’re going to this club because Tweak the Freak told you Stryden would be there?” she asked, using the street name referring to Tweak. Not a very nice name, but highly accurate.

  “No.” Kiernan gave her a hard look. “We’re going because Tweak told me to check it out. You have a better idea?”

  She shrugged, waving his hostility away. No, she didn’t. She just felt uncomfortable taking advice from Tweak. He reminded her too much of Krista. A smart, beautiful mind ruined by creatures with far too much power. Another reason she always fought for the underdog. She considered it her mission, and penance, for not saving her sister.

  “When did you see Tweak?” She tipped the rest of her drink into her mouth, savoring the last sip of liquid energy.

  “Last night, after I left council headquarters.”

  A small noise of surprised escaped her lips. Cool blue eyes pinned her with a glare.

  “I’m not as big a screw off as you seem to think, Tabitha.”

  Stunned by his use of her actual name, she said nothing.

  “I care about my position as an Enforcer. I may not play it as by-the-book as you, but I get the job done.” A deep growl rumbled from his chest. Something dark she had never seen before entered his eyes. “And I always eliminate my mark.”

  “I never said you didn’t.” While she did not agree with Kiernan’s rule bending, he finished his assignments with the guilty parties always brought to justice. She’d never questioned his dedication to the council.

  “It’s getting late. Let’s go.”

  He stood, throwing his half-empty cup in the trash.

  It wasn’t late, by club standards, but impatience wore on both of them. She felt oddly bad for making him think she doubted his dedication, but she brushed it off. How many times had he made her feel silly for being so uptight? If she could deal, so could he. Throwing her empty cup in the trash, she got up and followed Kiernan out the door.

  A cold bite lingered in the air, the sun completely gone from the sky now. Tabitha tugged her jacket tighter to keep out the chill. She did not care much for spring in Colorado. It could be sixty degrees in the morning and a raging blizzard by nightfall. Thankfully tonight was clear, chilly, but clear. Another siren split the air, one much closer than the earlier one and coming even closer as they walked toward LODO. Not surprising. With so many bars located in one area, a lot of problems required official attention. Tabitha hoped it wouldn’t scare off the Kakos. They tended to be wary of any kind of law enforcement, supernatural or human.

  Her worries were well founded when they turned the corner to see flashing red and blue lights. Two police cruisers were parked right outside the main entrance to The Basement. A very belligerent drunk man sat in the back of one of the cruisers, shouting obscenities at the police and anyone else nearby. Another man stood talking to a uniformed officer while a medic bandaged a nasty wound on his arm. Bar brawl, another case of too much booze and too much testosterone.

  “Shit,” Kiernan muttered.

  She agreed with his sentiment. Now they would get nothing. No way to talk to wait staff and bartenders if they were already busy talking to the police. And if Stryden and his band of idiot followers had come in tonight, they were long gone by now. They would have to come back tomorrow night, giving the Kakos one more night to hunt. It burned her ass. They had to do something. She couldn’t let tonight go to waste while innocent people were ripe for the plucking. Well, she wasn’t a super planner for nothing. On to Plan B.

  “Come on. Follow me.”

  Kiernan’s brow furrowed. “Where?”

  “You’ll see.” He wasn’t the only one who knew people to talk to.

  Chapter 6

  Kiernan fell in step slightly behind Tabitha. What she was up to? Whatever it was, he’d go along for the ride. He too shared the disappointment he saw on her face when they arrived at the police-barricaded nightclub. Hopefully, Tweak’s tip would be just as good tomorrow night, if the tip was accurate at all. Kiernan felt sorry for the human. Being accused of insanity because the truth was so crazy no one believed it could really impact one’s mental health. Most humans who encountered the supernatural never said anything specifically for that reason. Ignorance truly was bliss.

  Still, he took everything Tweak said with a grain of salt. He liked the human, but the man indulged in a fair amount of hallucinogenic narcotics. Fact and fiction walked a blurry line with Tweak most days, but it never hurt to follow a lead.

  Tabitha turned the corner and headed away from the club, toward Five Points, a rough part of town once riddled with drugs and crime. Recently, the city cleaned up the area. Money poured in, and crime driven out. Now Five Points was a trendy upscale neighborhood, with new shops and restaurants popping up every month. Rough places still existed especially after dark, but the area as a whole was much safer.

  Their destination still a mystery, he followed Tabitha down the sidewalk. The streets were fairly busy. A low buzz of various conversations filled the air. Patrons finishing their meals left diners and restaurants in search of nightlife. The city of Denver had a lot to offer, everything from concerts and clubs to movies and trivia nights. The metropolis grew every day with newcomers eager for the convenience of the city life and the serenity of the mountains just a few minutes away. It made for a great place to live and a great place to hunt.

  Kako activity in the Denver area had risen in recent years. More people coming to the city to live meant more victims for the Kakos to choose from, and with so many outdoor enthusiasts drawn to the offers of the vast wilderness nearby, it made for a perfect scapegoat. The rise in Kakos corresponding with the rise in missing hikers and campers was not a coincidence. The humans had no idea, but the supernaturals did. It made his blood boil just thinking about how many innocents lost their lives recently. They needed to lock this Kako problem down and fast.

  Kiernan quickened his steps to catch up to Tabitha. He walked beside her, making them look like just another couple out for a night on the town, instead of a lone woman with a large man stalking her. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he fell in step with her but said nothing. Probably still pissed at hi
m for earlier. She shouldn’t be. He’d healed her and taken her out for coffee. What more could a woman want?

  Okay, so he might have taken the healing thing a bit too far there at the end. It hadn’t really been a kiss, just brushing of lips. Unable to help himself, he took advantage. For years, he’d been dying to see if those sassy lips tasted as good as he imagined. He discovered the truth. Reality trumped fantasy by a mile.

  It had taken a tremendous amount of self-control to just brush her lips with his own when he stood that close. If he’d done what he really wanted to do—grab her and kiss the living daylights out of her—she’d have his ass and not in a fun way.

  He knew the kiss bothered her. When she’d wanted to call the whole night off, she made her feelings clear. Tabitha never wanted to call it an early night. She was the definition of “the job.” A little thing like a Changeling attack wouldn’t stop her from a night of kicking Kakodaemon ass. She had a hard-on for the bastards ever since they attacked her and her little sister. He couldn’t blame her. If the Kakos responsible weren’t already dead, he would hunt them down and feed them their bleeding entrails for what they did to those poor girls.

  No, the Changeling attack had not bothered her. The kiss did.

  If she stopped being so stubborn and admitted to this attraction between them, it would make both of their lives a lot easier. But for some reason, she kept fighting it, fighting him. Maybe his past was the reason.

  A dark cloud filled his mind. He hated thinking about his childhood. He tried not to, but he couldn’t escape it. No escaping the dark truth that his father was the very monster he now hunted. A Kakodaemon.

  His father turned Kako when Kiernan was only ten years old. No one knew the reason the Daemon sucked his first soul, but all it took was one. After the first, madness took over. His father became a shell of his former self. His quest for power never sated. Kiernan’s mother tried to stop her husband, but his father was already gone, replaced by a vile creature hungry for the dark power of human souls. In a fit of rage and madness, his father attacked and killed his mother. Kiernan—eleven at the time—witnessed the entire bloody event.

  He still heard his mother’s screams. They often woke him. Haunting memories in the middle of the night. He still saw his father’s face. Distorted with madness, he barely recognized the man he once called father. His father would have killed him as well, if Racine had not stopped him.

  Kiernan preferred not to remember his painful childhood, but others remembered. His parentage made certain people distrust him, like Tabitha. He learned long ago the mistrust others had for him was their problem. He’d never given anyone reason to doubt his Euadaemon status, and he never would. He was not his father. It had taken him decades to learn and friends like Racine to teach it to him. For that reason alone, he would do anything the head of the council asked. The Euadaemon had saved his life in countless ways.

  Kiernan often wondered if his dark past was the reason Tabitha seemed to dislike him, but that didn’t truly make sense. She was a good person who never judged someone on the mistakes of their lineage. One of the many things that drew him to her. She had a good heart, even if said heart seemed encased in ice at times.

  Maybe her dislike came from his loose use of the rules. Whatever the reason, he would put money on the fact she was scared. Of what, he had no idea, but he saw it in her gaze at times. Warring with herself over her attraction to him and the fear of whatever held her back. Whatever the reason, he was going to find out. Then he’d help her get over it, because that brief taste of her sweet lips was far too tempting. Instead of quelling his need for her, it ignited a fire that raged inside wanting only one thing: Tabitha.

  Mind elsewhere, he almost ran into the door she stopped in front of. A quick glance up made him grimace.

  “Mistress Selena’s Magic Shop?” He didn’t even try to keep the disbelief out of his voice. “You have got to be kidding me. This is a tourist trap.”

  Dark chocolate eyes shot him a warning glare. “You have your contacts, I have mine. Besides, things aren’t always what they seem.”

  She said the last part so quietly even with his ultra-sensitive hearing he almost missed it.

  What the hell? It couldn’t hurt. Just a few minutes of wasted time listening to a quack who thought she knew the mystical powers of the universe. Who knows? Could be entertaining.

  Bells chimed as Tabitha pushed open the door, motioning for him to follow. The shop smelled of sage and rosemary. It had a calming effect, intentional no doubt.

  Beads clacked together at the rear of the shop. They turned to see a tall, curvy woman appear through the back doorway. The beaded curtain fell behind her, slowly swinging into silence. The woman had dark black hair that hung straight to her lower back. Deep brown eyes set in an oval-shaped face graced with high cheekbones. The woman smiled, heading straight for Tabitha, arms outstretched.

  “Tabitha, my dear. It has been far too long.”

  Tabitha embraced the woman, shocking the hell out of him. He couldn’t recall the prickly woman ever embracing anyone, except Bucky. Perhaps she wasn’t made of solid ice after all.

  Tabitha smiled at the woman, dropping her arms back to her side. “I’m sorry, Sel. You know how crazy it can get out there.”

  The woman nodded sternly. Her face pinching with concern. “Are you being careful?”

  “Always.” Tabitha shifted her foot slightly, but the movement did not go unnoticed.

  Sel gave her a stern look. The woman opened her mouth to speak, then her gaze darted to Kiernan. Her mouth closed as dark eyebrows went up. She sent a questioning look Tabitha’s way.

  “Oh right,” Tabitha said sheepishly, catching the hint. “Kiernan, this is Selena Sanchez. She owns the shop. Selena, Kiernan.”

  Formal introductions made, she got straight to the point. Typical Tabby Cat.

  “We need your help, Sel.”

  The shop owner’s gaze had still not left him. She perused him head to toe, as one would inspect a new car or potential house. He shifted uncomfortably. He was used to women checking him out, but this woman did not seem interested in his physical appearance. More like trying to look into his very being. Very disconcerting. She must have seen something she liked, because after a moment she smiled. Turning her attention back to Tabitha, she waved a hand in the air.

  “Doesn’t everyone.” She sighed with a laugh. “What specifically do you need help with? A spell, a charm?”

  “Information.”

  Selena nodded, waiting expectantly.

  Tabitha took a deep breath before continuing. “Have you heard anything about a new group of Kakos hitting the town?”

  “Group?” The woman’s brow furrowed. “I thought Kakos hunted alone?”

  “Guess these guys are highly evolved,” he snorted.

  “The leader calls himself The Dark One, but his real name is Stryden,” Tabitha said, ignoring him.

  Selena’s face drew in concentration. “I don’t know about any group, but there has been some talk of a new guy in town.”

  They leaned in, eager for information. Any tips would be helpful at this point.

  “The way I hear it, he hits all the hot spots, bagging tourists. Smart really, no one will miss them for days, possibly weeks.”

  And their souls were much more satisfying than the weak depleted souls of the city’s homeless population. Damn, these Kakos were smart. How did that happen? Taking human souls was supposed to drive them mad, not increase their cognitive ability. Something was up, and he didn’t like it one freaking bit.

  “Do you know where he has been hanging out lately?” Tabitha asked.

  He saw the anger on his partner’s face, fueling her to find the bastards tonight and finish it. A sentiment he shared.

  Selena waved a hand dotted with sparkling rings in the air. “The only place I’ve ever heard him going to specifically is that new club, The Basement. I hear it’s very dark, perfect for a snatch and suck.”

&nbs
p; He shot Tabitha an I-told-you-so-smirk, which she returned with a look that said she wanted to kick him in the groin. If Selena didn’t stand three feet away, she most likely would have, but the Enforcer seemed to restrain herself in front of her friend. Interesting.

  “Thanks, Sel.” She gave her friend a quick hug, ignoring him completely. “I promise to stop by for an actual visit sometime soon.”

  The other woman gave her a squeeze before letting go. “You do that, Tabitha. We’ll have tea and talk about the new and interesting things in our lives.”

  The shop owner said the last part with her gaze fixed solely on him. Very intriguing.

  ****

  Tabitha wanted to correct Selena’s assumption about Kiernan, but it would just make it worse. And now he grinned like a big idiot. Oh yeah, just what his ego needed, to think Selena saw him as her new boy toy. Fantastic.

  “Pleasure meeting you, Selena,” Kiernan said, offering his hand.

  Her friend shook it, grasping it a touch longer than a normal handshake. Her eyes closed, and she inhaled. A smile crossed her face as they snapped open again.

  “Good to meet you too, Kiernan. I look forward to our future meetings.”

  Oh crap. Tabitha did not like the sound of that. Kiernan just smiled, a puzzled look on his face. She prayed he wouldn’t ask. They exited the shop and walked back the way they had come.

  “What did she mean about our future meetings?”

  So much for answered prayers.

  “Selena is a psychic.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Not the phony 1-800-I’ll-read-your-cards-for-you, but a real psychic.”

  “Psychometry?”

  She nodded. Selena indeed possessed psychometry, the ability to see the future and past by touching any object. The woman’s gift revealed the pain Tabitha had been in when she visited the psychic shop ten years ago.

  She went looking for help to cure her baby sister. Selena tried, but nothing awoke Krista from her deep sleep. The woman had, however, been able to sooth some of Tabitha’s pain with charms and friendship. She was grateful for both.