Love and Demons Read online

  Love and Demonswritten by J L Oiler

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  Second Edition

  ©2013, Rebel Ink Press, LLC

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  For Kenny

  The only barriers to true love are the ones we erect.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Glock: Glock Ges.m.b.HHog: Harley-Davidson

  Prologue

  "The rule is clear. No inworlder is permitted to seek a human mate from the outerplane without the unanimous approval of council." Adrik made a low, throaty growl at the statement then spat on the red dirt at his feet. Though he was large, Barak stood seven-foot, giving him a good two inches on his companion. The lord of the Zironet's blue-hued skin shimmered in the glow of the golden sunset, creating a unique contrast of his alabaster horns against his blue-black hair. That, accompanied with the detailed muscles of his shoulders and arms, including the ancient symbols circling his biceps, made him even more striking than usual. Not that there were any females around to impress.

  Most of them were lost to the plague or the wars that followed. Now their numbers were down to a handful. Barak's own clan, the Zironet, commonly called the Zi, now had a ratio of males to females so dismal and unbalanced, they faced impending extinction if they did not do something quickly. The council knew this, yet still they refused his request. Unless they changed their minds, his people were damned.

  The council was comprised of two representatives of each of the four demiclans, and a single representative of the Obsidian. They had been limited to a single representative, primarily because their souls were as black as their skin. Their whole philosophy was death to all. One could trace most of the wars between the demiclans directly back to the Obsidian in one way or another. Of course, they were not the only ones who would rejoice in the demise of the Zironet. All but three members of the council voted against his request, and two of those were from his clan.

  "I don't give a damn what the council's word is," Barak told the other male as he paced back and forth, glaring down into the ravine below.

  "Just give your father and Tiran a chance," the male told him. Adrik reached out to clasp Barak's arm in a show of support and solidarity.

  "Perchance they can convince the council to change their minds, and if not, they may know a way around them." Taking a deep breath, Barak attempted to calm himself. Adrik was right. He always was. He was the Calmer for the clan, but being Barak's best friend and second in command made that a difficult task at times.

  "Perhaps you are right, old friend. My father is stubborn. He will not back down from this. Though you would think the fact that the Anunnaki chose to rebirth the lost souls of our Zi-mates in the human realm would be sufficient justification of our cause."

  The seven gods of their world, known as the Anunnaki, had sent a messenger before the council only weeks earlier. The salvation for his clan lay with the human females who bore the mark of the Zi, and were immune to the plague that cost their kind so dearly. On top of that, they were each Level Two toxin survives, meaning they had survived both the plagues that had decreased their number so badly. It also made their physical adjustment to this world possible.

  He crouched lower so he could peer farther into the ravine at the granite building below. The council was there at that moment, most likely celebrating the death of the Zironet, but if Barak had anything to say about it, it would be a premature celebration.

  He fingered the bracelet in the pocket of his pants. The silvery enchanted metal felt cool against his fingertips. It was constructed from a rare ore found so deep within the ground that obtaining it was nearly impossible, and he had commissioned one for each of the members of his battle group. This was one of six, created about six months earlier, when they were certain their request would be granted. Enhanced with a spell of Elements, they would allow the keeper to locate whoever wore it no matter what plane they occupied.

  The smith constructed each with a solid band whose ends fastened tight with a heart-shaped lock. The key hanging on the chain around his neck opened only the one he carried. His bride would wear it one day and, council or no, he was going to outplane to find her.

  Chapter One

  "The subject just exited the building and is heading your way," the scratchy voice of officer Drake Marrow whispered through the headset. They'd been staking out the location for the past three nights in an attempt to track down a known arms dealer named Malcolm Forest. This was the first real sighting of the perp in over a week and it had come in as an anonymous tip, so how accurate the information might be was anybody's call.

  They had been after Forest for months now, ever since he sold some automatic weapons to a bunch of Neo-Nazis who tried to take over the city. They even managed to get one of their own undercover agents into the inner circle. Then someone sold the man out and he ended up being tortured and mutilated beyond recognition. If it hadn't been for some extensive dental work, they still wouldn't be certain whom the remains belonged to.

  "I have him; all units hold your position until I give the signal," Kat Dash replied, watching Forest and two bodyguards make their way down th
e long, narrow alley toward her. She almost laughed at the use of the word 'units', though in reality it was no laughing matter. Of the original fourteen officers from diverse backgrounds and specialties, less than half now remained. Ever since they began the pursuit of Forest, their numbers had been dropping. Five members were killed at a drug lab explosion, one in a shootout with some dirty cops, and the worst one of all had taken place only last week when they lost a man to the worst fate of all: Matrimony.

  As Forest and his cohorts continued toward her, Kat sensed she was not alone among the debris and shadows. Someone was watching, though she didn't know from where. There was not much cover, and she occupied one of the few places one could actually hide. The alley was two parallel rows of decaying building rears, a cracked and rat-ridden walkway littered with trash and refuse from years of indifference. It had an ominous feel that seemed to keep the vagrants and alley cats at bay even in the daylight. Tonight, however, was something even more special, for the wind itself appeared to hold its breath in anticipation.

  The three men were about fifteen feet away when Kat made her move. Stepping away from her cover, she then pulled her gun. Taking a stance that was anything but welcoming, she yelled out, "Police. Stop where you are and place your hands on your head." She knew the statement sounded corny, but it worked — or, at least, it was supposed to. More than an attempt to halt their forward progression; it was supposed to signal to the rest of the group to move in.

  Now, standing there in the dark silent obis, a feeling of complete abandonment slipped across her senses. Forest began to chuckle, his deep voice sounding like the doom-filled moan of a funeral procession. "Look, gentleman, it appears we've found us a stray kitty." It was obvious that none of them were surprised to see her.

  "It appears you are all alone, my little alley cat," he added with sarcasm that put her teeth on edge, and had her fighting the urge to squeeze the trigger of her Glock and shut him up.

  "Where is my team?" She ground the words out between clenched teeth, never dropping her aim at Forest's head. If they planned to take her out, she sure as hell planned to take him with her.

  Movement to either side of the three men caught her attention, and her heart skipped a beat, though she managed to keep a stone-like exterior. It was quite a feat, since damn near every member of her team now flanked their suspect with all their weapons pointed at her. "I had thought to invite you to join my little army, but Tigrate believes you would simply refuse."

  James Tigrate spat on the ground before shooting her a crooked grin. "Sorry, Kat, but money talks and Forest knows how to do a lot of talking."

  She regarded him and the others for a long moment, attempting to determine what the best course of action would be. Ultimately, all scenarios ended badly for her. The only change was how much damage she did before they put her down.

  "Where are Phillips and Riley?" she asked her former comrades, though she feared she already knew the answer.

  "They didn't want to be part of the team, so I slit their throats," Drake said with an air of pride that made her sick to her stomach. She'd always hated the guy, but never really had a reason until now. At least she would feel bad about killing him.

  Tossing her weapon to the side, Kat cracked her neck with a twist of her head before motioning with her fingers for her former teammates to come forward. "All right, assholes, let's see what you got." Smiling wickedly, she watched as one by one they discarded their own firepower and stepped her way.

  Kat had sparred with members of her team on several occasions and knew his or her weaknesses as well as they knew hers. Hell, they'd all trained together nearly every day for the past year. Hours of kickboxing, hand-to-hand combat, and Taekwondo made them a well-oiled machine. Too bad that machine had thrown a rod. She did have one advantage they lacked — she was fighting for her life.

  She didn't know if they would take up the gauntlet she so blatantly threw at their feet, so she stood waiting like a groom at the wedding altar, nervous and uncertain. They could easily fill her full of lead; she just hoped her taunt would play upon their pride and perhaps give her a chance to take one or two of them out before they managed to put her down.

  ****

  Barak stood on the rooftop, watching the scene unfold below him. He'd caught the scent of the woman earlier that day and obsessed about her ever since. Traditionally drawn to a mate first by scent, his species possessed some sort of code born into their being so they could locate their life mate. He had never expected that to be true here among the mortal world as well.

  Seated one minute at a little open-air café enjoying a glass of sweet tea and munching chicken wings, the next he found himself rock hard, racing after some stranger on the street. Barak knew at that moment he'd found the female destined to be his and his alone. Now all he had to do was catch up with her and convince her she was supposed to be with him, which might not be so difficult if he weren't from another realm and regularly sported a set of horns. Nevertheless, he was certain, even without seeing the mark of the Zi on her flesh, they were meant to be together.

  Right now he merely had stubs where his horns usually displayed. He'd traded one to the witch who operated the portal between the two worlds. The other he would need to secure their passage back. Luckily, the witch considered Zironet horns valuable. For a single alabaster trinket, she readily agreed to transport him and the three other males who accompanied him. What she planned to do with it was a mystery.

  He'd shadowed his female down the street until she disappeared through the rear door of the local police station, leaving him to find a place to wait out her reappearance. In the hours that followed, he managed to reach Adrik back at the hotel they were staying at during their visit to outworld. The other male had joined him only minutes before the woman exited the building. Unfortunately, she climbed straight into a dark van with over half a dozen well-armed officers.

  "You mean to tell me your female is a cop?" Adrik grumbled, shaking his head. They were not accustomed to females taking on such occupations. The women of his clan had always been very submissive in regards to nearly everything. They quickly discovered the females here in outerplane were not nearly as accommodating. Adrik had already received more than one solid slap across the face for suggestive comments.

  "Now what?" A gleam in his eye said he already knew the answer.

  "We follow. I want to ensure she remains safe, and I would at least like to see her face," Barak said with a heavy sigh. They would not have any trouble following, but with the sun not yet set fully in the sky, it did make it a bit more complicated. It wasn't easy to jump a full twenty stories to the top of a building in the daylight without a few witnesses.

  "Well then," the other male responded, looking around at the various small clusters of possible witnesses moving about the street, "looks as if we hoof it up the steps, then follow."

  Even then, it took only five minutes or so to locate and catch up to the van carrying his mate. They had both taken up locations on the high rooftops, hidden by the darkness that finally descended upon the city. From his vantage point he could not identify her shape hiding among the alley shadows, which pleased him. It was good to know she could camouflage herself among her surroundings. It was a handy talent, especially for his homelands.

  With his superb night sight and sense of hearing he could determine where the other members of her team were, even those outside the window of his sight. Though he was not too familiar with police strategies, he knew that something was definitely off here. Two of the group that arrived in the van appeared to be stalking several of their own members, a third man actually met with a strange male outside the door Barak thought the group had been watching. The two had discussed something about money and a cat. What one of the fuzzy creatures that made bizarre humming noises when stroked had to do with anything, he was not sure.

  With the life forces of the two males extinguished by what was supposed to be their teammates, Adrik looked at him with confusion an
d concern. They did not need to be from here, or have knowledge of these humans, to know a conspiracy when they saw it. The whole situation left him with a bad feeling in regards to the safety of the female below — his female. Barak may not have laid claim to her yet, but still it was his duty to see that no one threatened her, human or inworlder.

  Both he and Adrik leaned down to better see and hear the commotion taking place some feet below them. The female, positioned in the center of the alley, was now in what appeared to be some sort of standoff with the males who had exited the building around the corner, and those who had came in the van with her. "I believe your female intends to take them all on, alone," Adrik whispered with surprise.

  "We cannot allow them to harm her." Barak said it more to himself than his comrade, while he fidgeted along his perch. He needed to be down there protecting his mate, not up here on this damn sullied rooftop worrying about how to do just that without exposing himself. The last thing they needed was people running around the city with stories about large males dropping down from rooftops and ripping men apart. Cloaked in glamour that disguised the blue hue of their skin and made their eyes more humanlike, they hid among the humans, but he doubted they would be able to hold those images in a battle. Therefore, he watched as she took up a fighting stance and prepared to battle those who stalked toward her.

  The small area below them burst into a flurry of movement. His female weaved and ducked the onslaught of punches and kicks they threw her way. Even as on-edge as the situation had him, Barak could not help but be impressed. The woman met each attack with one of her own, dropping two of her assailants within moments. Her movements were a fluid dance of deadly motion that connected more often than it missed. Unfortunately, her enemy also realized that, even outnumbered, she had the upper hand, so they would not waste much more time in this form of encounter.