He nodded. “Investigative journalist. And I’ve been investigating this club. There have been six women who’ve gone missing in the area, all of whom were regulars here since Luxuria opened for business last month. I feel like there might be a predator at work, and”—he shook his head—“I just have this strange hunch that it’s directly related to the club itself.”
The thought made a chill run down her spine. “Are the police investigating, too?”
“The disappearances, yes. The club itself, no. The missing women are only loosely connected to this place, and they don’t see the connection as keenly as I do. There’s nothing yet that ties it directly to the club except for a gut feeling on my part. If I find anything to substantiate my hunch, this place would be shut down in a heartbeat.”
“So you’re telling me to be careful.”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Graham touched her arm. “Consider it a request from an old friend. Stay safe. Even though it’s a big, lonely city and it’s nice to find someone to be with, I figure it’s way better to be alone and alive than alone and dead.”
A chill went down Eden’s spine. “You think the women are dead?”
“That’s what I’m here to figure out, and I’m not leaving until I do.” He cocked an eyebrow. “And, you know, if I win a journalism award along the way, then it’s all the better. It’s going to be a great story.”
Eden reached into her purse and pulled out a business card. “Here. Take this.”
He did and looked at it. “You’re a private investigator?”
“I . . . well, I own half of Triple-A Investigations. It’s just a small office on the outskirts of the city. I assist someone else, mostly, but what I’m saying is if you need some help, I’d be happy to pitch in any way I can.”
Graham smiled and tucked the card into the pocket of his jacket. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind. It was good seeing you again, Eden.”
“You, too. Good luck with the story.”
“I’ll take all the luck I can get.” He touched her face and shook his head. “Twelve years.”
“I know. And yet we still have that youthful glow.”
“I turned thirty last week. The glow is starting to fade.” He laughed. “Let’s not make it so long next time, okay? Good friends—people you can really trust—they’re hard to find.”
“You have my card. We’ll do coffee and catch up?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Graham leaned over and gave Eden a quick kiss. She felt Darrak’s presence tense inside of her, even though the kiss was only one of friendship.
However . . . something else happened with the contact. A sensation of dread, of fear, of darkness swept over her. As soon as it was there, before she could grab hold of it and analyze what she’d felt, it was gone. That was how her psychic abilities usually were. Totally useless.
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow, Eden. Promise,” Graham said before moving off into the crowd, which seemed to swallow him whole in a scattering of light and mingling bodies.
“I hate that guy,” Darrak said. “Loathe him. And I can’t believe you let him kiss you. I almost made you slap him, but luckily for him he didn’t try to slip you the tongue. It’s obvious to me that he’s only after one thing from you and—”
“He’s gay,” Eden said simply.
“Oh.” There was a pause. “I totally knew that.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“No, actually I didn’t. Huh.”
“What do you think about the six missing women?” Eden asked quietly as she sipped on her glass of white wine and scanned the crowd looking for Darrak’s contact. She felt disturbed by what Graham had told her and from her strange psychic flash.
“All I know is it has nothing to do with us. But he’s right . . . sometimes people looking for love will find more than they bargain for. Places like this leave certain people exposed, willing victims driven by lust and desperation. Which, of course, is the vibe I feel here.”
“Which you approve of.”
“My incubus days are long behind me, but I still find it interesting how many people are so quick to mistake lust for love in a desperate attempt not to be alone.”
She didn’t particularly like the reminder that Darrak had once been an incubus, a demon who fed off the sexual energy of humans. However, he’d later been promoted to “archdemon,” which, actually, was much scarier. Luckily for her, he’d changed a lot since being cursed.
“I liked being alone,” she said. “I was perfectly content being alone before you arrived.”
“Were you?” Darrak’s tone turned amused again. “Or maybe I was the answer to your silent wish to have somebody in your bleak, lonely life. You’re much too attractive to be a spinster.”
“I think there’s a big difference between having a live-in boyfriend and being possessed by a demon who will slowly but surely drain me of all of my energy until I’m dead.”
She hadn’t meant for it to sound quite so blunt, but the fact was, if they didn’t find a solution to their problem, Darrak’s demonic presence would eventually kill her. She knew in the three-hundred-plus years he’d been cursed, he’d been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people he’d possessed. He’d tried his best to choose hosts that deserved death—murderers and other vile humans. But, still. Knowing she was possessed with someone who was essentially a metaphysical leech—even though he was a very attractive leech during daylight hours—didn’t help her rest easy at night.
“We’ll find a solution,” Darrak said firmly. “I swear we will.”
Eden downed the rest of her wine in one gulp, then dug into her purse to pay for it. “If you say so.”
“I do.” There was a pause. “And speaking of our solution, I just saw him.”
Darrak’s voice now held a thread of anxiety. This was important, after all. If they didn’t find an answer to their mutual problem . . . well, she may as well invest in a nice gravesite with a view, and he’d be forced to find his next unwilling victim.
“Where?”
“Over by the dance floor. To the right. There’s a table with three blonde women, and the bald man staring at their breasts is the one we’re looking for.”
“Charming,” she said, keeping her voice low. “He’s human?”
“I think so. He’s the personal assistant to the local wizard master. The wizard master’s the one we really need to get to.”
“Wizard master?” she repeated skeptically. “What is this, Dungeons and Dragons?”
“That’s a game, right?”
“Yes.”
“This isn’t a game.”
No, it definitely wasn’t. Wizard master it was, then. “So what do I do?”
“Go over and say I sent you. He’ll know who I am and what you’re here for. The dress you’re wearing is just for him. He’s very fond of the ladies, as you can see, but he has a special place in his libido for redheads just like you. We’re golden. But if that little pervert touches you, I’ll probably rip his head off. Just an FYI. We’ll have to see how it goes.”
“Try to restrain yourself.”
“This is it, Eden. We’re close. I feel like this is going to be the solution to our problem.”
“I sure hope you’re right.” Because otherwise they were out of options.
She slid off the chair and adjusted her skirt, which had crept up higher on her thighs. Then she forced herself to be brave and cross the floor, keeping the average-looking human in sight just in case he tried to magically disappear. It could happen.
Only fifteen feet away now. Twelve. Ten.
“Wait a second,” Darrak said suddenly. “Eden, stop walking.”
She froze in place. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure. I thought I saw someone I recognized.”
“Who?”
“Look over toward the left, just a quick glance so I can check.”
She did what he asked, sweeping her eyes slowly across a s
ea of faces. “Who is it?”
The demon swore.
Eden waited, every muscle in her body now tense.
“We need to get out of here right now,” Darrak said tightly.
“But I thought you said we need to talk to the wizard master’s assistant.” She looked over at him laughing with the three women, oblivious to her. Only ten feet away. They were so close.
“No. This isn’t the right time. Leave, Eden. Now, before I make you.”
“But why are you—?”
The next moment, she found herself forcibly turned around toward the exit. If motivated enough, the demon was able to control her body—or parts of it, anyhow. Since Eden didn’t enjoy losing control of her bodily functions, so to speak, she’d set up rules that prohibited him from ever doing that. At the moment, though, instead of anger she felt panic well inside her at his unexpected reaction.
“Darrak—”
“I’m serious,” Darrak said. “You need to get us the hell out of here right now.”
There was something in his voice that made her decide not to argue any further. Eden began walking toward the door. She exited and put one foot in front of the other on her way to her car.
“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” she asked.
“I saw someone I used to know. Someone I haven’t seen for over three hundred years, since before I was cursed.”
“Who was it?” Her hand shook as she tried to get her key into the lock of her rusted Toyota.
“He’s an archdemon like me.”
Eden inhaled sharply. “Does he know you’re here?”
“I don’t know. But coincidences are usually fate giving us a kick in the ass. All I know is he’s dangerous. He wouldn’t know what happened to me with the curse. And he wouldn’t understand that I’m . . . well, I’m different than I used to be.”
This was shorthand for saying Darrak used to be demonically evil and now—thanks to being infused with humanity after possessing humans for hundreds of years—he wasn’t.
Which meant this other demon would be everything Darrak once was—powerful, destructive, scary, without conscience or empathy. Someone she’d want to avoid in every way possible. “What would this demon do if he found out what happened to you?”
“I’m not sure.”
She shivered as she got in the car and turned the key in the ignition. “So this demon . . . he’s an old enemy of yours?”
“No,” Darrak said wryly. “Actually, he was my best friend.”
TWO
Four hundred years ago (give or take a decade)
Being promoted was a good thing. Even when it hurt like . . . hell.
Darrak braced himself as the fire scorched his body, burning away his former incubus self and replacing it with his new archdemon form. On the surface, he looked the same. Inside, it was a major upgrade.
Which was good. He’d always hated being an incubus.
Well, almost always. The job did have its perks, after all. Draining the sexual energy of humans was all kinds of fun—depending on the human, of course. But helping to stock Lucifer’s personal harem with the human souls Darrak hadn’t completely consumed, well, that just felt like work.
Ever since he’d been created from hellfire five centuries ago, he’d been made to feel like a lesser demon. Made-demons rarely were treated as well as fallen angels or humans who’d sold their souls in service to the pit. Demons like Darrak were treated as if they hadn’t earned the right to any privileges and should feel, quote, “honored to exist in the first place.”
No damned respect.
But that was all behind him now with this promotion to archdemon. Darrak wouldn’t be used anymore to do anyone’s dirty work—he was nobody’s slave. New strength and power coursed through his improved form. From the corners of his eyes he could see his long curved horns. His skin was covered in amber fire. His upgrade came with fire as his element to call—appropriate, being that he was created from it in the first place. He looked at his hand, at the rippling flames that filled him with warmth and power. He could destroy a lot with this new perk. The thought pleased him.
“How do you feel, Darrakayiis?” Lucifer asked. He always observed promotions like this firsthand, although from an unseen vantage point.
The use of Darrak’s true name made him stand up straighter and answer truthfully even if he’d been inclined to lie. “Never better.”
“You’re very lucky. Many do not survive what you have just been through. Their forms are destroyed and swept into the Void.”
Sure, now they tell him. “It shows you that I’m worthy of being an archdemon.”
“That remains to be seen, incubus.”
Darrak’s lips thinned. He wasn’t an incubus anymore, but he didn’t correct the prince. Lucifer had a nasty, destructive temper on him. Not that Darrak had ever met the boss face-to-face before. He’d only heard the rumors—and there were many of them.
“You now answer only to me,” Lucifer said. “You are in my trusted circle. You will defend and protect me whenever I need you, without question or comment. Do you wholly agree to this?”
There really was only one acceptable answer to that question. Anything else would be asking for that one-way trip to the Void. “Yes, my prince.”
Lucifer’s archdemons were essentially his personal bodyguards—the only ones, outside of his vast harem, who ever saw Lucifer in person. But, except for his duties to Lucifer, the benefits of the job were endless.
“Go now,” Lucifer said. “And I will summon you when you’re needed.”
Darrak lowered his head in an obligatory bow before turning and leaving the antechamber. He immediately shifted to his human form and raked a hand through his dark hair before grinning at his accomplishment. His demon form was necessary to wear when in Lucifer’s presence—it was a show of respect, much like wearing a uniform—but his human form had always felt more natural to him. Plus, the horns ran the risk of scraping against archways. They were very impressive, but not terribly practical sometimes.
“So?” another voice asked him as he turned the corner of the mazelike halls of Lucifer’s palace.
A smile twisted on Darrak’s face as he turned to see his friend Theo. “So what?”
“How did it go?” Theo had long black hair he always wore tied back by a strip of leather. He had a slight exotic slant to his brown eyes that spoke of many different nationalities, which helped him fit in just about anywhere at any time in the human world.
“Don’t forget the arch before demon when you’re discussing my future triumphs. And you will be discussing them since I’ll have many.”
Theo’s grin widened. “Told you so.”
“You did indeed.”
“Ask and ye shall receive. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
Darrak laughed. “Reading the Bible again?”
“I love fairy tales. They make me feel all tingly inside.”
“As you can see, I survived the conversion. Which I’m told is rare. Thanks for the warning on that.”
Theo crossed his thickly muscled arms. “Warnings are for cowards. So now you’re finally one of us. One of the chosen few that can do whatever we want and have power left over to spare.”
“All thanks to you.” Darrak’s gratitude surprised even him. If it wasn’t for Theo, he wouldn’t have gotten this rare chance to move up the food chain.
Darrak and Theo had both been incubi created from hellfire at the dawn of their existences. Both created to serve their masters. But Theo had a real drive to become something more, never satisfied with where he was. He made Darrak see it was possible to want more, to achieve more. All one had to do was put one’s mind to it. He was very inspirational—for a demon.
“Follow me,” Theo said. “I need to ask you something very important, but not here.”
That was interesting. Darrak followed him until they were deeper in the palace, a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed or o
verheard.
“So now what?” Darrak grinned. “Shall we go out and celebrate? Head up to the human world? I can go there now at will, can’t I? I don’t have to wait to be given permission.”
“You can do anything you like now. Anything.”
Darrak’s smile faded and he tensed, feeling a strange sense of foreboding. “Is there something wrong?”
“No,” Theo said, although he seemed preoccupied. “Do you trust me, Darrak?”
“Yes,” he responded immediately. “Out of everyone I’ve ever known, I trust you above them all.”
“That’s good.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to tell you something. Something important.” Theo hesitated.
“You can trust me with anything you have to say,” Darrak assured him.
“Can I?” A straight black eyebrow raised.
“Of course. You’re like a brother to me.”
Theo snorted. “Always so emotional, Darrak. You’re just like a human.”
Darrak knew an insult when he heard one. “Am not.”
“I’m jesting, of course. I’ve seen you drain their energy and take their souls. No hesitation, no second thoughts. I’ve seen you tear apart the ones who cross you with your bare talons. Why do you think I’d recommend you for this promotion if I felt otherwise? You have the soul of a killer, don’t you?”
It was an old joke. “Yes, and it was delicious.”
Theo studied him a moment longer. “I don’t know when it will happen, but I need you to be prepared when it does.”
“When what happens?”
A smile snaked across Theo’s face. “I’m not satisfied with being an archdemon. I want more.”
“More? How can you get more? Arch is as far as we can go.”
“Not exactly.” He lowered his voice further so Darrak had to draw closer to hear him. “There are seven lords of Hell. I’ve recently discovered that if they were to be . . . destroyed . . . one by one, their power would shift to the one who ended their existence.”
Darrak hadn’t expected this. “You can’t destroy the lords. They’re omnipotent.”
Theo shrugged. “Maybe that’s only what they want us to believe. I’ve been secretly looking into things. There is a weapon that can kill them and send them to the Void just like any other lowly demon.”