Protected by the Damned Boxed Set 1: A Supernatural Action Adventure Opera

by Michael Todd

  “Right,” Katie agreed. “And what information are you looking for?”

  “When the next attack will be, who is behind all this, and where he stands in the order of things,” Korbin listed.

  “Do you want me to kill him?”

  “No.” Korbin shook his head. “Leave him unharmed when you are done. We want to follow him; see where he ends up.”

  Where he will end up, they can’t follow, Pandora remarked.

  “All right, I’ll do it,” Katie told him.

  “Good.” He smiled. “I’ll send the invite information to your email. And please be careful! We don’t know how many demons will be at this thing, hiding behind their humans.”

  “Always careful,” Katie assured him, standing up. “It’s my middle name.”

  “Right.” He chuckled.

  Pandora sniffed. “Katie ‘Careful’ Maddison” has a horrible ring to it.

  Katie left the office and headed back upstairs, excited about the opportunity. It was exactly what she had wanted; exactly what she had been hoping he would allow her to do.

  She had finally gotten an undercover gig she was pretty sure she was going to kick ass at, but when she got to her room and pulled up the invitation her heart sank just a bit. The party was super-elite and super-fancy, and she was going to have to do some serious work to fit in with those people.

  She had grown up poor. She had never been to an event like that in her life. The most expensive party she ever had gone to was her senior prom, and even then she had worn a hand-me-down dress and her mother’s shoes.

  Don’t worry, Pandora told her. I got this. If you want to glam yourself up, you have come to the right place. I have been around during every pertinent fashion wave in history. I know timeless and classic like the back of my hand…and I know slutty and hot as well. Fortunately for you, you will need to be a very good mixture of both. You have a hot body and rocking cheekbones, and I have been working on the rest. I know exactly how to get us into this thing.

  Why does that make me incredibly nervous? Katie wondered.

  Because you know I will make you fabulous, and you are happy in your drab clothes, frumpy panties, and makeup-less face, Pandora replied. Because you know that I have it in me to make you desirable to the whole world, but you would rather sit around moping about killing demons.

  You are a bitch, you know that?

  I know, Pandora exclaimed happily. It’s one of my best attributes, actually. Well, that, and my seduction abilities.

  Katie climbed into her car, and put the top down, making sure her hair was securely tied back. She hated shopping even more than she hated gorging herself on food.

  She never knew what to buy. She didn’t feel comfortable in the trendy clothes, and salespeople always tried to get her to wear low-cut shirts and skimpy skirts that barely covered her ass.

  She had never been that kind of girl, even in her non-Damned form. She liked to be comfortable, so if she couldn’t wear what she wanted she usually didn’t go to whatever event it was.

  She also didn’t do Halloween, since it had just been an excuse for the girls in her college to be sluts and wear almost nothing. She just chilled, comfortable in her jeans, t-shirts, and recently spandex pants and flack vest.

  Okay, tell me where you want me to go, Katie said.

  Wherever you shop, Pandora replied.

  Target?

  Oh, for fuck’s sake. Pandora sighed. Go to the Strip. I saw a Neiman Marcus there, so we can start with that. They carry all the high-fashion designers, so we should be good.

  Okie dokie. Katie turned off the 15 and onto Spring Mountain Road.

  And stop saying that. No one with an ounce of class says “okie dokie,” Pandora snapped.

  Yep, Katie replied with a smirk. Relax, I know how to talk to people. You just focus on the outward appearance.

  Whatever, Pandora answered.

  When they got to Neiman Marcus, Katie got out and handed her keys to the valet.

  She was amazed at how differently she was treated when she pulled up in a car like hers.

  She resented that, knowing how amazing a woman her mother was and that she didn’t get that kind of treatment because she didn’t drive a fancy car or go to fancy places.

  She pushed the thought out of her head and walked inside, pretty much letting Pandora take over for this part. She tried on about twenty dresses, and fought Pandora on the final choice.

  Eventually, though, she just gave in.

  Afterward she purchased some very expensive make-up from their counter after the person spent an hour working on her face, telling her how best to apply their product. She bought some perfume, to boot.

  By the time she was done shopping, her wallet was crying, even though she would be reimbursed since it was for a mission, and her arms were aching from carrying all the bags. It was incredibly annoying to have to do all that just so she could get in the door of an elite event.

  Katie was pretty sure that if she lived that life all the time, she would go very few places. It was a huge hassle, and they hadn’t even gotten home yet.

  When they did arrive back at the base, almost everyone was out for the day. Katie was very happy about that. She did not need the guys teasing her about getting all dolled up for this thing. She just wanted to get it over with. Originally she had been excited about it, but after realizing what kind of hell she was going to have to go through just to walk through the doors, she was starting to regret her decision to attempt to make Korbin trust her more.

  Shit, she had been doing just fine.

  All right, first you should take a shower, Pandora ordered. When you get out, I am going to take over so I can do your hair and makeup.

  Fine, she grumped. Can I at least have a chair to sit down on?

  Stop being a baby, Pandora snapped.

  Katie showered quickly, shaving her legs and her armpits so that Pandora would stop yelling at her about the stubble.

  Pandora argued, No one with an ounce of pride in themselves—and a Ferrari—will go out with stubble, and neither should you.

  She climbed out and gave her body over to Pandora, just standing there as the demon took care of her body, tweezing her brows and otherwise abusing it.

  When that was done, she put on the silk robe she had bought that day and let Pandora blow-dry her hair and then set it in large Velcro curlers.

  When Pandora was done with that, Katie grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge in her room and took control back for just a minute.

  I am shaved, tweezed, and dried. Now what? Katie asked.

  Now we make your face a bit more presentable.

  Katie pouted. “Why do you have to make it sound like I am some hideous beast?

  Oh, shut up, Pandora told her. You know you aren’t hurt by my comments.

  You’re right. Katie shrugged. Let’s just get this over with.

  Katie grabbed the bag of makeup and walked back into the bathroom, unloading everything and lining it up on the counter.

  She had no idea what some of the pieces were for. It was looking more like a medieval torture chamber than a girl’s bathroom. Katie took a deep breath and let Pandora take over, standing there watching as she blotted different creams all over her face. When she was done with that and her face had dried, Pandora applied the concealer, sponging it on very carefully.

  This stuff is awesome, Pandora said. Makeup was not this good last time I was here.

  Great, Katie replied. I’ll send a fax to the manufacturer to tell them their makeup has a demon queen from hell’s seal of approval.

  You know, you can be a real bitch.

  This time it was Katie who kept quiet.

  When Pandora was done with the foundation, she ran a brown pencil over Katie’s eyebrows and applied dark colors to her lids, just like the smoky-eye look Katie had seen in the magazines a hundred times. Pandora really was quite good at makeup. When it was time for her eyeliner, one eye went perfectly but Pandora accidentl
y jabbed the pencil in her other eye.

  Ouch! Katie shrieked. For fuck’s sake!

  Sorry. I am doing someone else’s makeup from inside their body. The depth perception is pretty strange.

  God, why do I have to wear makeup? Katie complained, wiping at her eye. You looked good without makeup when I first saw you.

  Yes, I did, Pandora affirmed. And if you would let me change your body, so would you.

  Kate sat there for a moment, waiting for Pandora to fix the eyeliner and finish up the second eye. When she was done Katie took her body back, exasperating Pandora.

  How am I supposed to finish this if you keep taking over? Pandora growled.

  What about your gravity-defying breasts? Katie asked.

  She laughed. Is that what would tempt you?

  It’s definitely a start, Katie told her. I mean, you gave me these huge tits, but didn’t think about the fact that they have to stay upright. The dress you made me buy—there is no way these puppies are staying in line without a bra, and a bra with that dress is impossible.

  Why didn’t you say something about this earlier? Pandora asked. I could have fixed that issue from the beginning.

  I don’t know. Katie shrugged. Didn’t seem necessary.

  Well, first we need to finish your makeup, Pandora replied, snatching control back from her. Now I am going to curl your eyelashes, and after I do that I will apply mascara.

  With what? Katie asked.

  This. Pandora held up an eyelash curler.

  Oh, God, Katie moaned.

  Just hold on tight, Pandora replied. This won’t hurt a bit…

  Chapter Twenty

  When Katie pulled up in front of the hotel in her blue Ferrari, the valet came running to open the door. Katie pressed her black Jimmy Choo heels to the pavement and stood up, smiling sweetly at the valet.

  He took her keys and handed her a tag, which she put into her purse.

  As she walked, her sparkling black gown fluttered around her. The straps rose from a very deep V in the front and wrapped around her neck like a choker.

  The skirt hit the floor, hugging her curves with a slit the went halfway up her thigh. She pressed her ruby-painted lips together and flipped her loose black curls back over her shoulder.

  She was fucking hot; desirable—and completely badass—in her dress.

  When she got inside she walked directly back to the VIP section, where she had no problem at all getting in. The doorman didn’t even check a list. He just moved to the side and held the door open for her.

  She smirked at him flirtatiously and went inside. There wasn’t a single person in the joint who believed she wasn’t someone incredibly important. She was starting to feel important, and her strut picked up.

  Look at you! Pandora marveled. You look fucking amazing.

  Everyone is being so nice to me, Katie replied. It feels weird.

  Of course they want to treat you nicely, Pandora assured her. No one with this body in this dress with these tits is going to be turned down for anything, especially not in a place that desperately wants your money.

  It helped a lot that I showed up in an almost three-hundred-thousand-dollar Ferrari, Katie agreed. The body is great, sure, and the dress is hot, but no one is going to care unless the outside matches the inside. And let’s face it, wearing ten grand worth of clothes and makeup and driving that car definitely boosted their confidence in my importance.

  Yeah, but the body gets you the attention, Pandora replied.

  Let me just remind you that we are in Vegas. Katie discretely adjusted her boobs. Which means that there are a million women in this town with tits like this, although theirs are silicon. But the Ferrari is money, baby.

  Katie carefully walked through the crowd. She was only in the normal VIP area, so she still needed to find the special VIP event area. That was where the politician would most likely be.

  She wanted to fit in, though. She didn’t want to look like she was searching for something, since that might look suspicious. She walked to the bar and ordered a Cosmo, then stood there sipping it as she looked around the room.

  There were a lot of heavy hitters there, and several of them were adorned with red ringed eyes just like she had figured they would be. As she moved her eyes across the back of the room, she saw the special event entrance. Two doorman stood guard, and the richest of the rich walked in and out.

  I found them, Katie told Pandora.

  Good, she replied. Now stop looking like James Bond and start looking more like Pussy Galore.

  Katie smiled and looked at a group of guys who were ogling her outfit. She blushed, realizing that between what her cleavage revealed and the slit up her thigh, she was more uncovered than she’d been in most bathing suits she had owned in the past. She drank the rest of her Cosmo and pulled her skirt over her bare leg.

  Good lord! I said Pussy Galore, not Little House on the fucking Prairie. Pandora groaned. Smile at those men, then get your shit and head over to the event area. We need to get inside.

  Katie sighed. Yes, ma’am.

  She already wanted to leave. She just wanted to go back to base and forget all about her desire to be more useful. This place was a blatant example of everything that was wrong with their world.

  A bunch of rich men parading around in expensive suits with wads of cash in their hands, gambling away the money they took from the poor to buy their next gas-guzzling jet. The women were all scantily clad and eager to meet these men, wanting no future beyond finding a rich husband to make them rich.

  Katie didn’t understand it at all.

  Where was the substance? Where were the conversations about important topics? Where was the accountability for where the money was coming from in the first place? Katie wondered how many of those rich men had become what they were only after a demon took their bodies.

  More than you might imagine, Pandora said darkly.

  Katie had thought it would be more difficult to get into the event area, but all she had to do was flash the doorman the picture of the invite she had saved on her phone and let him ogle her tits for a second, and she was in.

  They wandered around for a while, watching the people gamble, learning about the random charity that no one there actually cared about, and nonchalantly trying to hunt down the politician.

  Katie had looked him up online before leaving the base so she would know exactly what he looked like. She figured if there happened to be more than one demon in the crowd, she would need to narrow it down.

  It was a good thing she had, because more people in that place were Damned than not.

  Katie walked over to one of the random cocktail tables and stood there sipping a glass of champagne a waitress offered her. Her eyes moved from face to face in an attempt to find the mad politician.

  Near the back, where the craps table was located, the sea of people parted almost ceremoniously and there was the politician. He was living it up at the craps table, surrounded by adoring fans and one security guard, who was wearing sunglasses.

  There he is, Katie said to Pandora. Why am I not surprised that he is as skeevy as he looked on the internet?

  Even more so, Pandora grumbled. I can’t believe women sleep with men like that. They are so fucking gross.

  I know, Katie agreed. It astounds me every time I hear on the news that another of our politicians has been caught with his pants around his ankles.

  I’m starting to understand why you have become a man-hater, Pandora said.

  Katie chuckled. I am not a man-hater. I’m a stupid-person-hater, and it just so happens that most of the men I knew before the team were stupid.

  Mmmhmm, Pandora teased.

  Katie sighed. Anyway, I need to figure out how to get this politician alone. I mean, it shouldn’t be too hard since he is a man and I have giant tits now. Men are pretty simple creatures.

  You sound more and more like me every day. Pandora sighed. I love it. Yeah, we need to get you over there and have you start flir
ting.

  Where is he going?

  To that fancy-ass bathroom over there. Trust me, okay?

  All right. Katie sighed and let Pandora take over her body.

  Pandora strutted Katie’s body toward the bathroom. She fluffed her breasts, pressed her lips together, and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. She stopped in front of the security guard and smiled.

  “This one is occupied,” he told her.

  “I know,” she replied, reaching up and playing with the end of his tie. “It just so happens that your boss in there was asking about a hot body to play with earlier. I wanted to come over and accommodate him, because in all reality, baby, there isn’t a slut here who is hotter than me, I promise you that. And maybe when he’s done, you can come in and give me some more. I bet I know which of the two of you is the bigger man, and I’m not talking about your height, sweetheart.”

  Pandora was laying it on as thick as she could, wanting to get into that bathroom before he came out. She walked forward again, this time stopping just inches from the big guard’s muscular chest.

  She stretched up and whispered close to his lips, “You wouldn’t want to disappoint your boss, would you? I’m sure he would be more than happy with you if you sent a hot little thing like me in there to take advantage of.”

  “And who would be taking advantage of whom in that situation?” he asked.

  “Well, he would, of course. He wants the power.” Katie smiled. “But you… I would climb right up in that lap and ride you till the lights went out in Vegas.”

  He cleared his throat and smiled, then reached back and grabbing the door handle. Katie looked around the room to make sure no one was watching and slipped inside, closing the door behind her. She stood there with her feet spread wide and put her hands on her hips. The politician shook himself dry and zipped up his pants, then turned to wash his hands. He was obviously surprised to see her standing there.

  She looked at him with dark eyes and smirked. “Do you need to run? Or do you have a minute to, well, talk?”

  He looked Katie up and down and stuck one hand in his pocket, then tilted his head toward her, the red glow in his eyes too visible to not signify a demon. Pandora forced a smile onto Katie’s lips, even though she was starting to fight back.