Esther Benson
“VINCENT,” I called as I shook him and turned to Gabriel. “What did you do?”
“Nothing, my dear. You, on the other hand, dropped the temperature about sixty degrees. Probably not the healthiest thing even with his fever.”
“Why must you scare humans? I know your power and—”
“Did I unfurl my wings? Did I bring down a heavenly chorus? Did I blow my horn and call him home?” Gabriel breathed and calmed himself with one of Kiriana’s patented cleansing methods. “No, I asked an opinion.”
“I enjoyed your presence more before you met your family.”
“You think Kiriana has rubbed off on me?”
“I think you all feel as if the world were a joke here for your amusement.” I stroked Vincent’s face, but still he did not awaken. “He is but a man.”
“And you a woman.”
“I am one of your servants, my Lord, but I cannot serve you when you are who harms what I am here to protect.”
“I shall take my leave of you, dear Esther. His heart still beats, take peace in that.”
Vincent’s pallor had me worried. I was unsure if it was from Gabriel’s confession or the pain of the rapid healing. His face was no longer dark olive. Instead his complexion was a shade darker than the white sheets. I didn’t know what to do. Medical knowledge had never been my strong suit in the first place and now all I knew were the ways to cure a Frozen, not a human.
His eyes fluttered and for the first time since he passed out my heart beat. I hadn’t noticed its absence. Rolling his head from side to side Vince struggled against the weight of his own eyelids until they opened by a fraction and we made eye contact.
“I need to call in,” he coughed as he regained his senses.
“That’s your first thought?”
“It was the only thing my brain could focus on long enough. Reaching for more hurts.”
“Right, we did get distracted by the research.” I picked up the phone Zarmina had left at the end of the bed and passed it to him.
“Yeah, it’s DeTello,” he spoke into the phone. “I’m going to do some work from home. I pulled a muscle and can barely walk…yeah, the chiro’s getting me in this afternoon…well, I believe in them…anyway, make sure anything important goes to my email and I’ll keep going.”
He looked at me then ran his finger over the mouse pad on the computer. “Could you do me a favor? In my top drawer is a slip of paper…I know there’s a lot of slips…this one has an ad for Paulette’s Pizza in Chicago…good, can you read me what I wrote…yes, it doesn’t make sense to you because it’s my note…uh-huh…thanks…no, don’t throw it away, just put it away…yeah, let the chief know. I’ll check in later after my appointment…What? Why didn’t you say that first? How long? No, you were right to take the information. She fits the profile…I’ll try to get out and look into it.”
Vince tossed the phone on the bed and went back to the computer. He typed for a few minutes, then rotated his shoulder as if he was testing it out. His eyes stayed locked on his computer.
“Vincent?” I asked, confused.
“Esther, I need some time to process. The best way I can do that is to work on a case.” He pulled in his lip then rubbed his left eye. “I’m praying your world isn’t a part of it anymore. Sadly now I don’t know.”
“The missing girls.”
“And Damarion Juarez.”
“He’s not involved with them.”
“How do you know?”
I rocked back on my heels and crossed my arms around me so I could hold myself tight.
“Because up until a few weeks ago he was dead.”
“He was dead?” Vincent dropped his head back. “Is he a member of the Frozen?”
“Heavens, no. He’s the leader of the demons. At least in this area. Or he was until—”
Vincent looked at me and I wasn’t sure what I’d done.
“Esther, until what?”
“Until Kiriana and Nye killed him.”
“So they murdered him.”
“No, he’s a demon. You can’t murder a demon. They need to die or…he’s not human.”
“You said he was dead…did Gabriel resurrect him?”
“No, Kiriana and two demons did. Gabriel’s out of the loop on that one.”
“Esther, where is Damarion Juarez?” he asked firmly.
“Locked away. He’s dangerous.”
“And the woman claiming to be his sister?”
“I’d assume she’s one of the Deumos.”
A beep sounded on the computer and Vincent breathed in and refocused on the laptop. His fingers scrolled through the data in front of him. A frown came across his face and he snapped the screen shut.
“Bring me to Damarion Juarez and make sure Kiriana’s there too.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good—” His hand wrapped around my wrist. Heat scorched my skin from where he touched even though gooseflesh covered me and shivers travelled down my spine.
“Esther,” he implored. “Take me to Damarion.”
I snapped the gown on Vincent and made sure he was steady on his feet before we walked out of the makeshift hospital setting. By the door was a desk where Dr. Ashworth was reviewing his own data.
“Going for a walk?” he asked when he stood and walked toward us.
“Don’t touch me,” Vince snapped as his right hand rose to keep the doctor at bay.
“I see your range of motion has improved. You should get some food.” Dr. Ashworth removed his glasses and sighed. “Esther, bring him to the kitchen. I believe Nye is cooking up a storm. He’s so frustrated with being grounded. I’m heading to bed since our patient is doing fine before the rush starts.”
“You’re expecting patients?” Vince asked after Dr. Ashworth took his leave.
“I’m grounded too, but with the change in bantling behavior of late I’m not sure what we’re doing.”
Pushing through the double doors Dr. Ashworth had installed, we arrived in the hall next to what had been our healing room. The normally peaceful house had been flooded with experienced members of the Frozen. A few I recognized from previous Closings. The noise was a shock to my system since I’d been in the quiet of the hospital for the past day. From the living room a lively discussion was going on with Kiyoshi attempting to moderate. Zarmina was greeting the new arrivals who had been transported by Gabriel.
“Welcome to our compound,” she spoke in calm tones since transporting was a bit jarring and she wasn’t sure what languages the new arrivals spoke. “Please see Trisha with your rooming needs and then speak to my Other Lars. He is helping with fighting assignments.”
We moved past the initial shock of people toward the kitchen.
“What is going on?” Vince asked.
“We’re not sure, so we’re calling in backup.”
“There were over fifty people there.”
“Yes, the other compounds must be working with a skeleton crew.”
“How many compounds are there?”
“Twelve active Hell’s Mouths, equal twelve compounds. We’ll be the next to close although all signs had pointed to us closing in four to five months from now. That among other things has shifted.” I pushed my way into the kitchen where Nye had platters of food set out on the table waiting to be brought into the dining area. “Nye, Dr. Ashworth suggested food for our patient.”
Nye’s head shot up and he rushed across the room. He slammed Vince against the sub-zero fridge.
“You did this.”
“Nye,” I screamed, but attempting to pull him off would have been easier with a crowbar.
“You got in the way. You had to dig. Now she’s raising Hell on Earth.”
“You don’t know that, Nye. It could have been just as much your fault when you killed Damarion. That brought her to Earth in the first place.”
Nye’s dark glare burned into Vincent who kept his jaw tight, and suddenly I understood why. Nye had his elbow digging into Vince’s right shoulder as his arm choked his neck.
“Let him go,” I ordered. “You’re hurting him.”
“Like I care.”
“Since when don’t you,” I snarled, and Nye released him.
Stalking across the kitchen Nye grabbed a knife and stabbed it to the hilt into the wall before going into the pantry.
“I’d suggest grabbing a sandwich or fried chicken and we’ll leave.”
“I’m not eating anything he cooked.”
“He cooked it for us, not you. I’m sure it’s safe.”
“Was that a joke?” Vince smiled and snagged three chicken legs.
“I have my moments.”
“Yes, you do.”
The training center wasn’t busy. Mostly our newbies being trained by Kiriana barking orders from the sideline.
“Hey, you’re up and walking around,” she said. “That’s great…damn it, Berlin, if you do that you’ll be dead in less than ten seconds. Wait…do that, Berlin, please…”
“Is that…” Vince’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the former socialite Berlin Carmike. “She’s not dead?”
“Not yet, but give me a minute and an errant arrow.” Berlin was far from Kiriana’s favorite person. “I still don’t believe she was a suicide. She’s not that smart.”
“Kiriana,” I said, pulling her focus from the trainees to me. “We need you to bring us to Damarion.”
She laughed, then got serious. “No, it’s not time for him to eat or talk to the princess. I don’t go there unless—”
“Warren Brown,” Vince interjected, and Kiriana pulled up short.
“Damarion has nothing to do with him.”
“Doesn’t he? I don’t know for sure. But this whole missing women case, missing man case keeps coming back to you and another woman was taken last night. So either I slap the cuffs on you and haul you down to the station or you let me interview the man you killed.”
“I only paralyzed him. My husband killed him.”
* * * *
Detective Vincent DeTello
“Semantics aside, will you please take me to see your dungeon?” I had to give Kiriana points for telling me the truth earlier, even though I’d thought it was a joke.
She might not have killed Damarion Juarez, but she did have the bloodline to complete the task. All of the raped and murdered women of Warren Brown had been blondes. That didn’t bode well for Kiriana George, formally Kladshon.
We walked toward a spiral staircase, but stopped at a panel first where Kiriana entered a code. At the bottom of the staircase she entered the same code. Dull light flickered overhead as we walked down a hallway. All the cells we passed were empty. At the end of the hallway a radio played.
“You’re early, Kiriana…” a disembodied voice spoke to us. “And you have the schoolmarm clad in leather…wait…” A person shifted, then appeared in the small square window with iron bars. “We have a friend. Is he injured?”
“Damarion, this is Detective DeTello. He has some questions for you.”
“Is he the one working diligently to locate me for my darling Nemesio?” Damarion smiled.
He was a muscular man who, just like the pictures the Athletic Director gave me, wore a green baseball hat. Only this time it was turned backwards.
“Should I tell my cousin you called Nemesio your darling?”
Damarion grimaced at Kiriana’s threat.
“Are you here to spring me? I’ve been held against my will for a while now. Isn’t that a felony?”
“I have to consult my demon laws before I make a decision.”
“Oh, well, in that case I’ll just settle back in because by their standards I should be chained up and flogged daily. Not really my thing.”
“What did you do?”
“Got a blowjob from the wrong woman.”
“Been there.” I sighed, then leaned on the door. “Tell me about Warren Brown.”
“Never heard of him.”
“We have video of you at the truck stop before your disappearance.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I thought I cloaked myself. Then again I was weakened from lack of sex.”
“Been there too.” I shifted and kept my eyes far away from Esther. My creating a rapport with Damarion could be misconstrued. “Why were you there?”
“Watching a subordinate.”
“What was he doing?”
“Fucking a prostitute.”
“That’s it?”
Damarion stretched his arms out and pressed against the door. A deep laugh rumbled up his body.
“Demon males have an appetite for the female form. Rarely can a human handle the experience.”
“You saying the prostitute wasn’t being raped?”
“That’s up for debate.”
“Why?”
“No reason to leave your money with a corpse. Had my demon brother paid for the services? Yes. But at the same time rarely do prostitutes give refunds.”
“These were accidents? The women missing or found raped.”
“Again, you can’t rape the willing and very few can resist a demon male when he truly wants a woman.”
Kiriana scoffed, then leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
“I could have had you if I wanted you,” Damarion snipped.
“Honey, if I wanted to fuck you I would have done it the first night,” Kiriana groaned.
Damarion ground his teeth.
“How about you, half-pint, you want to see if you can handle a few rounds with a demon?”
Punching the door didn’t have the desired effect. Damarion didn’t even flinch and I might have broken something else. The reflex to protect Esther wasn’t from a serve and protect mantra. It was deeper. She was in a world I didn’t understand, fighting nightmares every day and still I couldn’t think of anything more disturbing than another man touching her.
“Must be the leather,” he sniffed. “It does cup her ass nicely.”
“Open the cell,” I ordered as every Chicago street cop instinct in me was set off. My senses that had dulled over the past few years came crashing through my system and all I could see was a street punk in need of manners.
“They won’t do it. I’m too dangerous. Especially to a man with a boo-boo.”
“I see why you killed him.” I paced a few times in the hallway, then came back. “Your subordinate. He’s still around and in need of sexual partners?”
“I assume so. It’s not like the princess would allow him time with a Deumos. He’d still be slumming in the town pool.”
“Who is he?”
“Why would I tell you? What do you have to offer me?”
Typical criminal. Willing to help as long as he got something, but what could I give him? I didn’t have a leg to stand on. Esther and Kiriana just looked at me, unwilling to toss the dog a bone.
“He knows who’s killing these women. It’s your world coming into mine. The last two weren’t even prostitutes. He’s hunting blondes. He’s hunting blondes just like your father did all those years ago.”
“KK,” Damarion called. “Your daddy was a demon? Wow, you and the princess have so much in common.”
“He’s human.”
“You sure?” Damarion asked with a smirk.
“Then maybe the demon that influenced him is now Damarion’s subordinate,” Esther suggested. “It only makes sense.”
Kiriana became quiet as she rubbed her belly.
“Can I leave and go see your father?” I asked her. “It may be the only way to track down this killer.”
“Again, it’s an accident,” Damarion called from the cell as we walked away. “You’ve never known the pain of demon blue balls. It’s debilitating.”
* * * *
Pivane
Eliza trembled as she sat in the kitchen. Dark circles surrounded her eyes. That, as well as the bruises and scratches damaging her once beautiful face, made a strange emotion rise in me. Compassion. LaDressa’s tantrums and the subsequent injuries had become part and parcel with daily life since she’d arrived. I and the others have been choked, muscled, and attacked by wings quickly tipped in our own blood. Being unable to control her emotions had made the princess dangerous and unpredictable. Each day was a new chance for her to learn to control her wings and the power she possessed, but she spent her time hurting those here to protect her.
I passed Eliza a cupcake. She peeled the paper from the sides as delicately as a flower opening to touch the sun. There was no malice in this woman. I’m sure thirty years ago any emotional outburst she had caused little more damage than embarrassment in a grocery store for her parents. She had an edge to her that let me know at any moment she could destroy me, but she felt no need to rush.
“People will have noticed I’m gone by now.” She absently looked out the window at the midday sun.
“People are probably noticing quite a few things are different today.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say when Lucifer’s daughter throws a temper tantrum it spreads far and wide. She’s upset the balance of more than a few things.”
“Is this an end of days thing? I’ve never been really religious or anything, but are the four horsemen coming?”
“They’re probably still passed out,” I laughed and popped a few peanuts in my mouth. “Good guys though.”
“Earlier…you and I?”
“Heal the princess and we can finish that properly.” A shiver cut through me at the idea. Eliza was already so damaged. I rarely conversed with my conquests. It seemed so fruitless since there was little chance of their survival. My body was weakening and I needed the release to keep up this pace, but the risk of hurting Eliza had me stuffing my face with salted snacks.
“I don’t know what came over me.”
“I’m sure it was just a reaction to me. Part of the whole bad boy charm. It tends to stop.”
“Perhaps.” She bit into the cupcake, but jumped when a scream tore through the house. “Does she have a volume button?”
“I’m still looking for it. It’s my turn.” I patted her hand and walked down the hallway.
“Fuck me,” LaDressa ordered as I walked into the room.
“Buy me dinner first.”
“I’m serious. You heal with sex, so will I.”
I eyed the immobilized princess and tried to envision how I could do this without getting splinters. No matter, my imagination—outside of her giving me head—wasn’t touching that.
“It’s a theory, but the mechanics of it all has me in a conundrum.”
“You doubting your abilities?”
“I’m doubting your stability. I guess I could roll you over and hike you up, but then there’s the whole you having a shooting pain that would bring out Flappy and the Sisters of Pain.”
“Do I appear to be in the mood for a joke?”
“You appear to be in the mood for pain killers.”
“Sex is a pain killer.”
“Not the way I do it.”
“Again, your failures as a lover do not interest me.”
“You want an orgasm, stick your fingers in your pussy and rotate until climax. Repeat as necessary.”
My doorbell rang and I ran to the kitchen to make sure Eliza hadn’t moved. She stayed curled into herself nibbling on the cupcake as if she felt it would be her last taste of food. Her head turned slightly to me, then returned to her treat.
“You’re not going to…”
“Run screaming to the door.” Her finger swiped at the icing. “Hadn’t planned on it. I figured it’d do me little good unless Sam and Dean are out there.”
“Sam and Dean?”
“Demon hunters from TV.”
The bell rang again and I went to the window by the door. The reporter from the other day was there. Hello, blonde sex. Removing my T-shirt I ran my fingers through my hair and opened the door.
“Can I help you?”
“Aren’t you cold?” the young reporter asked right before licking her lips unconsciously. I had her this time.
“I keep my home warm. Would you like to come in? You do appear cold.”
Once she stepped in the threshold she was mine. This time there was no hesitation as she walked into my foyer. When I closed the door behind her she jumped, but that was because Dr. Pound had come from the kitchen beaten and bruised.
“Does she have the same rule I do? Help or die…” She sighed as she pulled her sweater tighter around her chest. “I’d suggest to just concede. The princess will kill us either way.”
* * * *
Esther Benson
“I have to go with you as protection.” Esther looked at Vince’s body still healing and a shiver tore through at the thought of another attack to him.
“I’m going to a prison, guards—”
“Are useless against a bantling,” Kiyoshi said as he approached us in the hallway. “I’m surprised the bantlings don’t just emerge there. Then again the level of evil might be too thick to break through.”
“Vince, this is Kiyoshi,” I introduced. “He’s in charge of scheduling and assigning areas for us to hunt.”
“I also tend to get what’s needed for those here. You need clothes, I assume.”
“That would be nice.”
“Yours were destroyed by the bantling.” Kiyoshi passed Vince a bag, and he pulled his torn jacket from it. He dug in the pockets, retrieving a handful of suckers.
“Take one,” he offered and I plucked one from the pile. “Aren’t you going to eat it?”
“I’ve never been…” The smashing of worlds occurred as I removed the white paper and placed the sucker in my mouth. Sugar danced on my tongue and a lightness came to my brain.
“You act like you’ve never had one.”
“I haven’t,” I confessed. “I wasn’t allowed because it was a gateway to the devil.”
“You asked me to show you the world,” he whispered against my neck, causing warm chills. “How are you liking it so far?”
“Moments like these make it worth living.” Placing my hand on his stomach, I snuggled against his side. I was about to pull my hand away when he took it in his and our fingers entwined like lovers. My heart leapt as our bodies hadn’t a breath of air between them.
“I’ve got better ones,” he boasted and popped his own sucker in his mouth. “Wait?” He slid the sucker to the side of his mouth. “How long have I been here?”
“A half a day.”
His free hand went to his left shoulder.
“Where’s my patch?”
“I removed it,” Dr. Ashworth explained as he came out of the kitchen with a plate full of food. “We’ve removed all the nicotine from your system. It seemed you weren’t interested in smoking so I made sure you wouldn’t have the physical cravings. Emotional cravings I can’t speak for. I wouldn’t give up those suckers anytime soon.”
“Those are pretty good. Thanks.”
“It was the least we could do. Three more years of your habit and you’d be on chemo. I think you stopped just in time.”
Dr. Ashworth went back toward the double doors of the hospital. The commotion in the living room had died down so I led Vince there so we could sit while Kiyoshi gathered him clothes.
“Kiriana wasn’t a member of the Frozen when she arrived in Mount Pleasant, was she?” Vince asked as we both sat on a couch.
“No, she married Nye, just like Trisha married Schmitty. She had been a barmaid I believe before…And, well…”
“So humans do stay with you?”
“They are no longer human once they seal with their mate.”
“You became Frozen by killing yourself, is that correct?”
“Yes, and Gabriel offered me a chance for absolution.”
“Why did you kill yourself?” Vince waved his hand back and forth. “I’m sorry. I get in a mode where I ask inappropriate things. This is one of those times. Ignore me.”
“I want to tell you. I wish I didn’t. Maybe it’s Kiriana’s influence. She’s always trying to get us to talk about our feelings and our motivations.”
“It was your father, wasn’t it? He pushed you too much. Did he sexually assault you?”
“Are you still thinking I’m a prostitute?”
“No,” he professed. “I see the darkness in the world, even with the sun shining in my face.”
“Am I the sun?” Heat rose in me at the analogy.
“Esther, you are the first warm thing I’ve felt since I came here.”
“My father said I was possessed by the devil. From the moment I developed. I’d gone from the apple of his eye to his tormentor. If my hair was down it was to entice him. When a boy took interest in me it was because I had drawn him in with my demonic charms.”
“You are not a demon,” he said as he placed his hand on mine. “Not that I am an expert, but it’s hard to imagine you as a succubus.”
“The people who survived my father’s church, did they ever talk about it?”
“Yes, after your suicide, he took a turn for the worse I guess. Locking away young girls. The reason the FBI stormed the place was for child endangerment charges.”
“He believed the devil resided in them, didn’t he?”
“Wow, that sounds word for word.”
“I heard it for over half my life. The devil resides in you, Esther, testing my devotion to God. You are my damnation.”
“He was a pedophile,” Vince consoled me as he took my hands in his. “You worked the land, didn’t you?”
“Every day from the time I could walk.”
“Why haven’t your calluses gone away?”
“I guess because my work is not done.” Our eyes became locked.
With a soft stroke to my cheek Vince leaned in and my lips rushed with blood. Swelling burned my lips as I smelled the scent of man from Vincent. His lips made contact with mine. The rush of hormones coursed through my body and what I would have attributed to a demon, I now had to allow myself to consider it human.
My eyes opened slowly when he released my lips. A pounding in my chest had me trying to catch my breath.
“I’m sorry,” Kiyoshi said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I have some clothes.”
Kiyoshi held out bags of brand new clothes he must have purchased when Vince arrived. Vince excused himself to change and I ran my hand over my head. My hair was loose from its braids and I took off to my room.
I hadn’t seen my reflection since yesterday and I was a mess. Releasing my braid, I rushed into the bathroom to wash my face. I’d taken such care to remove the blood and dirt from Vince’s face I hadn’t even considered mine. My brush yanked on the snarls as I attempted to tame the wild length.
“I can see why your father made you bind your hair. I’m sure the boys at your commune loved its shine.”
Vincent entered the small room and ran his fingers through my hair. Never had such a simple sensation sent chills along my scalp and down my spine. I turned my head into his hands and my lips brushed his palm. Simplicity…gentleness…I wanted to lock him in my room so he’d never be hurt again. He was a man though? Men did not sit at home. Not here, but could he fight with us? Not in a black sweater cradling his body in a way that accentuated his chest and abdomen.
“Esther, where we’re going is not good. It’s a prison. I’m going to need you dressed like a fellow detective.”
“A sweater and slacks?”
“That would work, or a button-up top.”
“I will see what the other women have.”
“Don’t you have normal clothes?”
“I have my fighting clothes and my ones from my commune days.” I shifted, suddenly ashamed. “Vincent, until I came to this compound I never had enough downtime to process anything. I never thought about what my father asked of me or how I responded. To me, I had become one of God’s soldiers. I only know two lives and neither are who I am.”
“Find the middle. You wouldn’t of been able to make the transition to ruthless killer if it wasn’t buried somewhere inside you.”
“You’re like Kiriana, wanting me to discover myself.”
Vince’s fingers reached the end of my hair. Slowly the space between us disappeared. With one hand on my waist keeping me close, he placed a finger under my chin. He lifted my face to his.
“I want to help you on that journey.”
Once again his lips found mine, only this time they parted and his tongue brushed my upper lip. A sigh escaped me and his tongue touched mine. His flavor sweetened from a drink caught me off guard. The strength in his left arm kept my body against his. Heat tore through my body, leaving tingling in its wake. I clung to his shoulders, unsure of the right response. Did I hold my breath? Or did we share one? Should I even be doing this? Vincent was an innocent human devoid of sin.
Shoving him back I regained my senses.
“I’ll find an appropriate outfit and meet you in the foyer.”