The Hand of Kali Box Set (Books 1-3)

by T. G. Ayer

  Nik's forehead wrinkled. "That is probably the case. You may have gotten the sense of her then, but your power wasn't as strong as it is now. You're slowly learning to understand the new senses that are coming to life."

  "So now I'd tell immediately if a churel is around?" Maya asked.

  "What's different now?" asked Joss, her fork having stopped in mid-air, her eyes flitting from Maya to Nik.

  "What's different now is that my power of smell is super enhanced. I can smell demons from a good distance away. I could smell Ms. Harris while she was still in the hallway, before she entered the class."

  "Wow. That's pretty cool." Joss's eyebrows waggled, showing how impressed she was. "So how did you get that power?"

  Maya grimaced, picking up her fork and stabbing at the pieces of chicken that remained, cooling in the cream sauce. "You so do not want to know."

  "Now we all want to know," said her dad as he wiped his mouth and threw down his napkin.

  "Not at the dinner table you don't." Maya shook her head and didn’t stop shaking it even when faced with a table full of people demanding her answer.

  "Come on Maya, spill." Joss poked her in the arm with her fork.

  Nik was laughing at Maya's dilemma and she glared at him. He was certainly of no help.

  "Fine. But don't say you were not warned." Maya glanced around the table at her parents and Joss. "Nik returned from Patala with a collection of bottles. I had to smell and taste the contents of those bottles and now I'm able to identify the demons by their smell even from a good distance."

  "And what was in the bottles, Maya," Joss asked slowly, her gaze never moving from Maya's face. But her look of horror told Maya she had a pretty good idea already.

  "Blood samples of a few of the most common demons." Maya grinned.

  "Ewww," said Joss glaring at Nik." You made her taste blood? What is wrong with you? That's disgusting."

  Maya looked across the table at her parents. Both sat back looking surprised and a little shocked but interestingly enough not disgusted.

  "There are only a certain number of ways that I know how to help Maya hone her skills. I know this particular method sounds disgusting-"

  "Sounds?" asked Joss, looking like she was about to hurl. She held her hand in front of her mouth, the delicate movement only amplifying the nauseated look on Joss's face.

  Nik continued, "-sounds disgusting, but my choices were very limited. And Maya survived the exercise all the better for it."

  He looked at Maya, his expression saying her was hoping for some backup. She grinned, "It's totally okay Joss. I'm fine with it. To be honest it was disgusting while it lasted but I'm glad I did it. It's like the process awakened something inside me, some ability to sense demons. I'm much more powerful now and hopefully that will help me in whatever it is I am meant to do to earn my place as the Hand of Kali." A peek at her parents told her they were both happy with her choices and decisions. "And of course it will help me be more useful on your next case."

  Dev sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

  "Nope."

  "Fine. Come with, but don't go looking for trouble," he said, resigned.

  "I won't. My nose will tell me if trouble is coming." He nodded although he didn't look too happy. Maya didn't care. As long as they didn't go anywhere without her. Then she turned to Joss," Are you coming with?"

  Joss laughed. "Sure. But what would all those old people think when Dev and Leela Rao pitch up for a demon removal, or whatever you call it, with a little white chick in tow."

  Maya burst out laughing. Joss certainly had a way of saying things. "Okay, I see your point."

  Dev laughed. "She certainly does have a point. I do think we may lose some business if we did that."

  Maya snorted. "It's not as if you earn anything from it."

  "True. But we don't need their money." Then Dev pushed away from the table and rose. "I've got a bit of work to do."

  Dinner broke up not long after that and Nik offered to drop Joss at home. Maya waved them off before closing the door and locking it. She turned to head upstairs, hearing the click clack of claws on the wood floor. Sabala had remained in the living room while they had had dinner. Seems he didn't enjoy being around when people were eating. That was good, thought Maya. She liked it that way.

  Right now, Sabala behaved in a very dog-like fashioned and followed Maya upstairs

  Just like a good guard dog should.

  Chapter 13

  The next day at school went by faster as Maya tried to concentrate on learning. Being forced to go to school also meant she actually had to study. It seemed pretty ridiculous but she figured if one day she lost all her Kali powers she'd have something else to fall back on for the future.

  The thought brought her up short. Was that a possibility? Could her powers be revoked at any point? She considered that for a moment and supposed a goddess like Kali could take her power away whenever she wished. It made Maya think a little more about ensuring that never happened.

  Nik, Joss and Maya went through their day with only one blip.

  Ms. Harris.

  Maya and Nik took their seats as calmly as possible although Maya's heart was going a mile a minute. Every time she entered the demon's class she expected something awful to happen. But the lesson seemed to go uneventfully until their marked essays on Shakespeare's Othello were handed out. Maya had to hold her breath as the demon dropped the paper on her desk and walked down the row.

  Maya spent a moment staring at her assignment in fury. Blood thundered through her head as she tried to absorb the grade. She'd expected her regular, run of the mill A grade, but the demon had given Maya an F. A large, angry one ringed in red. The vicious period beside the F was pressed deep into the paper and ink had spread out in jagged feathers. And as much as Maya couldn't really care less about school, the grade pissed her off-it was the principle of it. She knew her Shakespeare to know that her paper deserved an A. What was the demon trying to do?

  She held on so tightly to the paper that it shook in her hand, evidence of her simmering fury. From the corner of her eye she saw Nik's curious glance but ignored him. Trying to slow down her breath, she called calm in much the same way that she called her fire, only making herself feel better when she promised herself she was going to kill this particular demon with her bare hands.

  With her fury tempered she gazed around the class, her eyes sweeping over Ms. Harris. The demon sat at her desk, her head down, seemingly oblivious to Maya's fury. But Maya was sure she was just sitting there, counting down the seconds waiting for her reaction. Maya considered the Rakshasa's actions and figured the demon wanted her to react, maybe lash out at her. She was simply trying to provoke Maya, trying to give the demon a reason to get Maya alone.

  Maya was furious but she couldn't do anything other than what she would do with a normal teacher. She tamped down her fury until the end of class, wishing she could just ignore it and just go home. She couldn't. She picked up her books and walked up the aisle toward the demon's desk, trying to keep her blood pressure at a decent rate.

  "Excuse me, Ms. Harris," Maya asked, pasting a bland smile on her face.

  The demon looked up and for a stomach-twisting second Maya saw a swirl of deep amber in her eyes. It was gone so fast Maya could easily have thought she'd imagined it but she knew what she had seen. If she had ever been in any doubt as to the true nature of Ms Harris, she was now no longer under any misconceptions.

  "How can I help you, Miss Rao?" the creature asked, keeping her tone so cool her words might as well have dripped icicles.

  "I'd like to ask about my grade," Maya began, then hesitated for a moment. She decided not to go in looking for a fight. "I worked really hard on the assignment and I'm sure I deserved more than an F."

  All the demon did was stare at Maya, her brown eyes now flat, the end of her mouth curling with dislike. Then she shook her long black hair, which today she'd worn hanging hallway down her back, and said,
"Maya Rao, let me give you a little piece of advice." She paused and scanned the classroom which had emptied as fast as a classroom would empty at the end of the day. No witnesses. Then she turned her attention back to Maya and met her gaze before saying, "You reap what you sow."

  Maya stared at her. What a strange thing to say.

  If Maya were a normal human being.

  The demon was certainly stoking the Fire. Maya swallowed hard, but kept her cool. She forced a frown onto her face, then said, "Huh?" feigning confusion, and all the while reminding herself 'Act like she's a normal teacher'. Then she gave the demon a weak smile, shrugged and left the classroom. Maya stalked off hoping she'd left the creature with the assumption that though she was angry about her grade she hadn't been tipped off as to what the teacher Ms. Harris really was.

  Outside the class Nik leaned against the wall close to the door. "That's a bit of a weird statement," he said frowning.

  "Yeah, not to mention the special effects." Maya was grumpy.

  "Special effects?" Nik leaned closer as they headed to lunch.

  "Yeah, swirling amber-colored eyes. It was there only for a second but really that was long enough for me to know for sure what she is. If I had any doubts that is. Which I don't because I can smell her a mile away." Maya paused, then whispered, "Speaking of which she's headed our way. Maybe a few yards behind us."

  Maya wanted to hold her breath as the demon drew closer. For a moment her heart beat at a thunderous rate. They both had their backs to the demon, with no real reason to turn around. But she walked around them, giving Nik a small smile as she passed. A smile that said she was a woman and she thought he was cute. This demon was playing her role very well. At least she hadn't broken through Nil's glamour.

  Yet.

  Maya growled as soon as the Rakshasa was out of earshot.

  "What's the matter Maya?" Nik said with a teasing smile as they watched the her disappear around the corner. "Jealous are we?"

  "Sure," Maya scoffed. "Until she rips your insides out and makes a meal of you."

  Nik put an arm around Maya's shoulders. "But seriously, this whole thing has me worried, a high level Rakshasi? I'm going to have to tell my father about this. He might have some info on who could be sending them now that we know what type of demons they are."

  "How long will you be gone?" Maya frowned, not looking forward to another extended absence. Then she stiffened her spine. She had to quit being a possessive brat.

  "Probably only a few hours." He smiled. "And I have plans for us tonight."

  "Yeah, that dinner you promised?" She raised her eyebrows.

  "Well, that too." When Maya glanced at him, her dark eyes inquiring, Nik responded, "I'm taking you on a demon hunt. We need to test your blood detecting abilities and also put your fire training to proper test."

  "Good plan," said Maya, already looking forward to doing something practical with her training.

  Maya barely waited for Nik to drive up in front of the house before she was out the door. She had to admit she couldn't decide which she was looking forward to more - dinner with Nik or demon-hunting with Nik. Either way she aimed to enjoy the 'with Nik' part as much as possible. He grinned as Maya plopped onto the passenger seat behind him and shut the door.

  "Joss just texted to ask where we were," said Maya, rolling her eyes. Joss's middle name should be impatient. If it weren't already taken by Maya, that is. She slipped the phone into her pocket before pulling the seatbelt around her.

  "Why?" Nik frowned as he put the car in gear and headed off down the street. "I'm not even late. In fact, I think I'm ten minutes early."

  Maya grinned. "Maybe she's just looking forward to the evening out," she suggested. "Or maybe she's worried you'd disappear on us again." She offered the jibe with a smile so he'd know she was just teasing.

  Like a pro he ignored in and asked, "Were you looking forward to it as much as Joss?" The look in his eye asked more than just the question.

  "Of course. Who doesn't like Italian?" Maya answered, not ready to delve into relationship stuff right now. Instead she chose to tease him and enjoyed the way he grinned back, his smiles make butterflies skate along the insides of the stomach.

  Right on cue they pulled up in front of Joss's place where Maya was amused to find her quirky friend pacing the front porch, arms folded, her purse at the ready. As soon as she spotted the car she flew towards it, a ridiculous grin on her face.

  "You made it," she yelled as she threw herself in to the back seat and slammed the door so hard that both Maya and Nik winced and shared a wry smile.

  "Yup. I made it. Were you ever in any doubt?" Nik asked as he drove off.

  "Nope. None at all," Joss replied and winked at him in the rear view mirror, blowing him a kiss. Her nails sparkled pink.

  Maya just shook her head. A few minutes later they pulled up in front of Ginelli's restaurant. It was a popular local haunt for the kids since they probably made the best pizza in the world. And they tolerated kids doing homework at the tables. The owners liked the idea of homework actually getting done and the kids liked the environment.

  They went in and found a booth. The girls slid inside and Nik took a seat beside Maya. They ordered and were chatting about everything and nothing when Maya felt a chill run up and down her spine. Nik must have sensed it too - unless he was too attuned to Maya's moods for his own good - because he threw her a questioning glance.

  "What's wrong?"

  "No idea," she answered, desperate to scan the restaurant to look for what had caused the feeling. Instead she looked at the table and pretended that everything was normal.

  "What does it feel like?" Nik asked while Joss pretended to scan the menu again.

  "Like there's a demon in the vicinity." Maya pasted a smile on her face. "And its nearby."

  Just then Ms. Harris walked past their table and Maya relaxed. The devil she knew.

  "What's she doing here?" Joss grumbled giving Ms. Harris back a vicious stare.

  "Whatever it is, let's hope she leaves soon. I don't think I can eat with that stink filling up my nose." Maya grimaced.

  "You're going to have to try. Not eating could tip them off."

  "Blegh," was all Maya could say in response.

  They watched the Rakshasi find a table at the other end of the restaurant and exchanged curious stares as the demon scanned her menu, a successful pretense at being human.

  Maya sniffed. "I doubt she's here just to grab a meal. What do demons eat anyway?"

  Nik snorted.

  "So," asked Joss staring at Nik. "What do demons eat?"

  "They eat what we eat. Except for the real nasties. They eat little girls for breakfast lunch and dinner."

  "Yeah I just bet they do," said Joss folding her arms. She continued to glare at Nik.

  The smile disappeared from his face. "I wish I could say I was joking but it's been known to happen. Most demonic forms have a penchant for human flesh and blood, and some Rakshasas are certainly guilty of that. Although as I told you before not all of them are like that. Some are perfectly normal, just as normal as the next human in fact."

  "If you are trying to make me sympathize with them then you are sorely mistaken. There is no way I'd feel sorry for them." Joss sat back, studying her pink nails.

  "That's not what I'm trying to do," he said. Then he paused. "Well maybe that's kind of what I'm trying to say. That not all of them are bad to the bone."

  "Oh, you mean like Priya?" Maya asked, a hint of a sneer to her words. She couldn't help it. Just the hint of a memory of the vengeful Rakshasa was enough to make Maya's fire rise to the surface.

  Nik had the grace to flush. "Priya wasn't your normal Rakshasa."

  "Oh yeah, betraying you and Yama was certainly not normal." Maya smiled sweetly.

  "Plus she had the hots for you," Joss chimed in with a grin.

  Amused at Joss's cheek, Maya glanced at Nik who frowned at the two girls. "Don't look so confused. You can't seriously tell me
you had no idea she liked you."

  "Well, no. I really never knew she felt that way." Nik scratched his head, and Maya and Joss grinned at each other. But Maya couldn't put all her attention on the banter at their table. Her gaze flitted to a certain table within her line of vision. She sat with her right side to Maya - it would certainly be easy to know when the demon looked over at their table. Had she seen them at all? Was she as oblivious to Maya and her friends as she seemed.

  Maya was about to ask Nik what he thought when the demon looked up at someone who strolled toward her table. Maya gasped softly and both Nik and Joss glanced at her simultaneously.

  "Someone's just walked up to her table." Maya hunch down in her seat automatically before she remembers she had to act normal. "Crap. It's another demon."

  "What, do we have? An infestation or something?" asked Joss, crossing her arms in disgust.

  "Right. This is a major worry for me. I'll go back to Patala later tonight to see what I can find out." Nik's voice deepened with just the right touch of worry that it made Maya's blood chill.

  "Do you think she saw us?" Maya asked.

  "I don't know. Doesn't look like she's aware of us at all." Nik said as the group watched the demon as she sat straight-backed pretending to be Ms. Harris the English teacher. Her dark hair held away from her face with a barrette, black rimmed glasses perched on her nose, the movements of her hands neat and precise. She certainly played the part well. Her companion leaned toward her and spoke in subdued tones, his expression blank, robotic. "And they certainly don't look like they're on a date. She's too businesslike. My guess is he's working for her."

  "That could mean she may have more worker demons around," said Maya annoyed.

  Joss snorted. "Like I said … in-fes-tation." Joss took a sip of her drink and nodded at Nik. "Do me a favor, Nik. Bring us back a can of Demoncide, please."