Demon's Quest (High Demon Series #4)

by Connie Suttle

  "Baby, do you have something else to drink?"

  "You want more fruit drinks or a tomato spice?" I asked.

  "Tomato spice?" Lok spoke for the first time in a click, I think.

  "I'll make one for you and see if you like it," I said, and went to the liquor cabinet.

  "I like this." Lok finished one off and asked for another, just as Astralan came back, masseuse in tow, with a table and everything.

  "Now, our girl gets the massage she needs." Lendill smiled and pulled on his tomato spice drink.

  "Oh, no." They were going to undress me right there in front of everybody.

  "Reah, I don't think there's anybody here who hasn't already seen you naked," Teeg laughed. Yeah, he was on his way to drunkenness.

  "Watch, I can do this," Lendill was almost as drunk as Teeg. He waved his hand and all my clothing disappeared. I shrieked.

  "Baby, don't you worry," Teeg was nearly slurring his words. "We'll take care a'you." Stellan had already had one drink, Astralan was working on his first, now. I'd mixed up another double batch in a pitcher, and they were already working their way through that.

  "Come on," Lendill lifted me onto the table while I was trying to pull the sheet off to cover myself. "Breah-mul, just lie down and relax. We promise not to give the masseuse alcohol until she finishes, all right?"

  "No, don't cover that up," the masseuse was about to lay a towel over my buttocks.

  "Teeg!" I was trying to pull the sides of the sheet over me.

  "No, baby. We've seen it before."

  "Not all at once," I hissed.

  "Don't upset her." Lok laid the towel over my hips. I sighed with relief as the masseuse started working on my back. About halfway through, the hands changed. Became firmer. More sure.

  "You don't know me, little girl, but I was giving massages to the Dragon Warlord a long time ago. I'm Rik, and I'm Kyler's ai yevu," his voice whispered next to my ear.

  "Another Falchani I don't have a chance with," I muttered, my face down. I didn't even look up at him. I'd heard of Rik—his healing hands were almost legendary around Lissa's palace. He'd come to her shortly after Gavril had gone missing. Word had it that he could work wonders.

  "Just relax, little girl. We won't worry about stupid Falchani men right now. Let's just worry about our little High Demon who needs better care. See, that little neck is full of knots. Now, how many of these men put those knots there and didn't take them away again?" His fingers on my neck were heavenly. Just the right amount of pressure and gentleness. "Look how pretty these shoulders are," Rik soothed. "Who wouldn't want that?" He worked on those. And then my ribs, hips and legs. Then, because I was so relaxed and boneless I couldn't move; he turned me over and worked on my front. I was asleep before it was over.

  * * *

  "Thanks, Rik." Gavril offered to pay, but Rik waved him off. "She's Aurelius'. She's entitled, just because of that. Do you want me to carry her to bed?" Reah was wrapped tightly in the sheet from the massage table.

  "We'll take care of that," Gavril said. Rik nodded and disappeared.

  "Want to flip for it?" Lendill asked. They'd all sat around drinking while Reah got her massage.

  "I think it's my turn," Gavril observed, lifting Reah. Lok and Lendill watched as Gavril carried Reah toward her bed.

  "You staying?" Astralan asked Lendill.

  "I want to."

  "You get the extra bedroom. Stellan and I will bring bedding in and sleep out here." He gestured at the sitting room.

  "Good enough," Lendill nodded to the two warlocks.

  "We need to find a house for Reah if she's going to stay here—a big one," Stellan said.

  "Maybe Gavril and I will work on that tomorrow," Lendill grinned.

  * * *

  "Reah, I want to stay in bed with you all day." Teeg nuzzled my neck. "I never got to bite—I didn't want to give myself away," he murmured against my skin. "I shouldn't do it now—you have to work today. I want to, but it wouldn't be good for you."

  "You bite?" Somehow, I hadn't expected that. Aurelius did, but then he'd been a vampire. I had to remind myself that Gavril had been born a vampire. To vampire parents.

  "I got the urge around nineteen or twenty, I think. Dee had to show me how to do it properly."

  "I don't know what to say." I sat up in bed, rubbing my forehead.

  "You're not getting a headache again, are you?" Teeg sat up with me—he was just as naked as I was. Teeg is a beautiful specimen. I couldn't argue about that. I'd always thought him well-put together and muscular. Working construction had made his shoulders every bit as wide as his father's, too.

  "Sweetheart, we have time—don't we?" He put his arms around me when I told him I didn't have a headache.

  "Teeg."

  "Come on, we do. You know we do. Then we'll have a quick breakfast and I'll take you to work. And one day this week, we'll go skiing and take the reptanoids with us."

  "Really?" I hadn't done anything fun in so long.

  "Yes. I promise. We'll take all eight of them. They love to ski."

  "I remember." They did, from their very first time—Farzi, Nenzi and their brothers loved snowboarding, and could do it naturally from the very beginning.

  "Come on, sweetheart. Let's make love." Teeg rubbed himself against my thigh suggestively. We did. And he did bite. He didn't take much and the climax was powerful and immediate. I may have fainted for a short while. Teeg was kissing and nuzzling when I woke; told me so many times that he loved me. Said the taste of my blood was powerful and intoxicating. I didn't know what that meant—Aurelius had never said anything, but then Aurelius hadn't bitten me in a while. Not since I'd lost the baby, anyway. In fact, we'd only made love once since then, a few days before.

  "Come on, let's have breakfast," I sat up, looking around for my robe or something suitable to wear. I got a shower before making breakfast for everyone, and then dressed quickly. Teeg folded me to the restaurant and kissed me before seeing me through the employee entrance.

  * * *

  Silmor left a note for me on the prep table, asking for the fish stew. Everything was in the keeper already, so I got that started, the stuffed pork roast went into the oven and we started working on the river fish in a creamy citrus sauce. Bread was kneaded and set to rise again—stock was cooked and reduced for the sauce to go over the pork roast. I prepared the rice noodles last of all—Lok would come for those. We worked on the regular menu, too, but much of the prep had already been done for that. When we opened for the midday meal, people were lined up already.

  "We have someone asking when you'll serve the ox-roast again," the waitress who'd taken me to Lok's table the first time told me. Her name was Marissa, and she had long, red hair that she tied back while she was working.

  "Do you know who it is?" I asked.

  "He looks important," she replied.

  "I'll go talk to him." Marissa told me which table, so I removed my apron and went out to the dining room. The Governor of the Realm had come, after getting elected for another term.

  "Governor, thank you for coming," I nodded respectfully to him.

  "You know, there was a time when I thought you were dead to us, Reah." He smiled.

  "And I would have agreed with you," I said. "I'll probably serve the ox-roast again next Eight-Day. I think I can fit you in for a reservation if you don't already have one."

  "I'll get one," he smiled. "But this pork roast is just as good. The sauce is excellent."

  "Thank you, Governor. Is there anything I can get for you? I think we have a bottle or two of Sun Vineyard Red in the kitchen." Sun Vineyard Red was an expensive wine that we served to special guests.

  "I'd like that," he nodded.

  "With my compliments," I smiled at him and asked his waiter to bring it out.

  "I don't suppose I could hire you to work for me again?"

  "Sir, I have other interests at the moment, so one day a week is what I can manage. If that changes, I'll be sure to l
et you know."

  "Please do so. Have you met my wife and daughter?" I hadn't, so I smiled as the Governor introduced them. The waiter brought out the wine; I poured it for the Governor and his wife.

  "I'll bring something special for you," I told his daughter, who was in her early teens and not old enough to have wine. I went to the kitchen and put a citrus fruit drink together for her and brought it out in a tall glass.

  "Mother, this is really good," the girl took a sip and handed the glass to her mother.

  "It is," she said. "What's in it?" I described what I'd put in it. It was very close to the rum drink I'd served the night before, without the alcohol.

  "Don't forget to contact me if you become available," the Governor reminded me as I said good-bye and returned to the kitchen.

  "That was the Governor of the Realm? I didn't recognize him without his formal robes," Marissa whispered.

  "That's him," I sighed. I don't think I could ever work in his kitchen again without remembering Master Cook Vyn. Those weren't good memories. I turned back to preparing meals. It wasn't until about a click before closing that Marissa was back, telling me that another table wanted to speak to me. I went out again and got quite a shock. Fes, Aldah and Addah were there. They'd ordered several items off the menu, including the fish stew.

  "Did you cancel your engagement with the King of Karathia?" Aldah sneered as I stopped beside their table, my heart thumping in my chest. I tried to breathe through my fear—they shouldn't be able to hurt me.

  "No, Wylend and I are still engaged," I said. "He doesn't control every bit of my time and I still enjoy cooking."

  "This fish stew is suspiciously similar to what we serve," Addah threw in. Did he think to threaten me? I'd designed the recipe to begin with, and Ilvan and Edan would likely support my claim now.

  "Yet it is not the same." It wasn't, I'd added a few things and perfected it. Desh's couldn't lay claim to what I'd done. Where was the family I should have had? There sat my paternal grandfather, accusing me of stealing his recipes, when they'd never been his from the beginning. "Grandfather," I sighed, staring at Addah, "your customers will always come to Desh's. The food is exceptional and you always have a fine wine list and the best in décor and staff. Did you come here solely to make me miserable? Is that what you did? Because I can assure you, there is no need."

  "We came to check on the competition." Fes spoke for the first time. "You know we've always done that."

  "Yes, I do know that," I nodded. "I might have liked to do it in the past, when I was still at Desh's number two, but I never received anything other than pocket change from Edan. I had to buy all my clothing second hand, Grandfather."

  "That blame is Edan's," Addah rumbled.

  "No, Grandfather. That blame is yours as well. You sent a child you didn't want off to someone else, because she had no mother. You never thought to check on me or Ilvan or any of the others besides Fes and Edan. Where are your other twenty-two children tonight, Addah? Can you even give me their names? Is there anything else you want from me tonight? I can give you a full sampling of the menu if you like. And you Fes, I envy you. You at least saw my mother when she still lived. I never got that. Even the photographs of her were withheld or destroyed. I never saw those. You have a mother, Fes. A good one. I saw how she treated you, Aldah and Rane. You probably don't appreciate her nearly enough." I turned and walked away from them, wiping tears.

  "Reah, what did they do to upset you?" Lok was walking beside me before I got even halfway to the kitchen.

  "That's my grandfather and two of my uncles, come to check on their competition," I sniffled. "It could have been worse. Did you get your noodles and your rice wine?"

  "Yes. They are very good. Do you need anything?"

  "No. I promised I'd send a sampling of the menu out, and I will," I said. "Go finish your meal before it gets cold." I patted Lok's shoulder. He examined me carefully with glittering black eyes before nodding and moving away.

  I sent a tray out with a bit of everything on it, and it was dutifully delivered to Addah's table. I hid behind a row of tropical plants and watched as the three men sampled this or that, discussing the food. Eventually I went back to the kitchen and finished everything for the night.

  "Sure you don't want to take the bus?" Oris asked when we walked out of the restaurant after midnight.

  "You know, I think I will tonight," I said. I was tired and I wanted time to think before going back to the apartment. Now, I'd be going in the same direction that Oris and Danis went. We waited in the cold at the bus stop, our breaths blowing away from us in a strengthening wind. Limited seating was available at this particular stop and the hard plastic slats on the bench would be frigid—I didn't want to sit on that.

  We all stood, waiting for the hoverbus to arrive. The familiar noise of the braking system sounded as the bus pulled up, the door swishing open to allow us inside. Warmth billowed out—the bus was heated well, at least. Danis, Oris and I scanned our credit chips as we climbed up the steps and chose seats. Six others rode with us as the door shut the cold out, the brakes released and we lurched forward.

  Perhaps it was because I was as tired as I was, or perhaps it was because the visit from Addah, Fes and Aldah had rattled me so much that I kept going over and over it in my mind. Regardless, when the Ra'Ak hissed and attempted to change in the lengthy bus, I still beat him to the punch and killed him in my smaller Thifilatha.

  Chapter 9

  Many passengers were injured—every Ra'Ak dusts when it dies and this one was no different. Chunks bigger than my fist blasted outward when I twisted the head from the body. Some pieces shattered windows and went flying into the street. Four of the six passengers needed medical attention, their injuries caused by flying Ra'Ak dust.

  Oris and Danis, who'd been behind me, were spared because my Thifilatha's body blocked anything from reaching them. They were both staring at me in shock, however, when it was over.

  Lendill, Norian and Gavin came. I don't know who'd called Gavin, but I was more than thankful. He placed compulsion on the passengers, telling them that it was an accident only. Norian and Lendill were smoothing things with the local constabulary, and I was thankful for that as well. My hands shaking and my entire body quivering in reaction, I sat on the back seat of the bus and let the others handle everything. Lendill brought clothing, shoes and a coat for me—everything had been burned away the moment I went Thifilatha. I'd dressed with shaking fingers in the back of the bus while Gavin placed compulsion.

  "Reah, little one, shall I send for Gavril?" Gavin's voice was low and calming. I nodded at his question—I needed someone with me right then and I knew it. Teeg showed up almost immediately.

  "Sweetheart, do you want to go to the apartment or come home with me?" Teeg lifted me off the seat in the back of the bus.

  "I'll come with you," I muttered. I was still shivering and couldn't seem to get my breath. What had the Ra'Ak been doing on a bus? I didn't normally travel that way—it couldn't have been looking for me. All the people on the bus were adults, too. Was this Ra'Ak even one of the six we were hunting? I couldn't tell. Perhaps Teeg could have, or Lissa, with their perfect sense of smell. But the Ra'Ak was in chunks now and we wouldn't know, more than likely.

  "Can somebody let Lok know that I won't be back at the apartment tonight?" I asked Lendill as Teeg carried me off the bus.

  "I'll let him know." Lendill pulled out his comp-vid.

  "Come on, baby, let's get you home. You're cold and shaking," Teeg murmured and folded me away.

  * * *

  "I should have known sooner, but I was still fretting over Addah, Fes and Aldah showing up and calling me out of the kitchen like assholes," I muttered later as Teeg dumped me in the hot water of his spa behind the palace.

  "They showed up and demanded that you come out and talk to them?" Teeg was shocked. So was I, honestly. I might have walked into Desh's to sample the food, but I sure wouldn't alert Addah to my presence. But the
n Addah wasn't afraid of me. I was of him, though. I drew a shaky breath.

  "Addah tried to accuse me of stealing their recipes—said the fish stew was close to what they served. The only reason it's close is because I designed the original recipe. Fucker." I didn't have any kind words for my paternal grandfather. "I'm glad now that I left out three ingredients when I wrote down the yaris fish recipe for Edan six years ago. They can't lay claim to that, either."

  "Baby, stop fretting about your grandfather and tell me about the Ra'Ak." Honestly, the Ra'Ak had upset me less than my own family.

  "I didn't notice him when I walked past his seat toward the front of the bus," I said. "I was too busy going over Addah's visit. The moment the doors closed on the bus and it started moving, he stood up. I noticed it then and went right to my smaller Thifilatha. I had to twist his head off; he tried to lash out at me but that's a mistake with a High Demon."

  "And then he dusted," Teeg added. "Did the dusting hit you, sweetheart?" He ran his hands over my body.

  "I ducked and covered my head with my arms," I said. "But I got hit in a couple of places. I'm better equipped to handle that than the other passengers were."

  Farzi, Nenzi and six other reptanoids crawled up in lion snake form and all of them plopped into the water. Farzi and Nenzi draped over me as well as they could while the others got as close as Teeg would allow. I think I cried a little while eight lion snakes tried to console me.

  * * *

  "That's Reah." Lendill ran the images from the bus camera back, then allowed them to play again for Lok's benefit. Norian had confiscated the recording to keep it out of the locals' hands.

  "That's what she becomes?" Lok was surprised.

  "That's the smaller one," Lendill nodded as Lok stared at the golden scales and long white hair flying as Reah decapitated the Ra'Ak using only her hands. "She's about six feet or so in the smaller one?" He looked to Norian for confirmation. Norian nodded. "In the larger one, she's around fifteen feet. And she has her wings tight against her body here," he stopped the image. "They're amazing when she spreads them out."