Demon Seed

  “You know damn well what I mean. Don’t go pulling a Kal with him.”

  Ryan’s face darkened. “I had my reasons, Aidan. I promise I will not interfere in your love life.”

  “Better fucking not.”

  * * * *

  They were investigating an old hotel in downtown St. Pete, so at least the drive wasn’t too bad. It took them a couple of hours to set up. Once the network crew arrived to film them, Ryan settled in with Jeff behind the bank of monitors in the room they were using for their base.

  Jeff admitted he was a little nervous. While he’d had some contact with Ryan in the office, he barely knew the guy.

  More to make conversation than anything, Jeff asked, “Why a ghost hunting show?”

  “Ratings. Pure and simple.”

  Jeff knew a little about what happened to Kal and felt he shouldn’t pry too deeply. Still, he couldn’t contain his curiosity. “Kal seems to enjoy working on the show.”

  Ryan nodded as he adjusted one of the monitors. “She’s very talented.”

  Jeff had a sudden flash of insight. “What if she hadn’t picked film as her major?”

  Ryan shrugged. “Her major truly didn’t matter.”

  “Because you would have done whatever you needed to do to make sure she was with Will.”

  Ryan nodded without taking his eyes from the monitor. “Yes. You’re very perceptive.”

  “How long have you known Aidan and Will?”

  An unreadable expression flitted across Ryan’s face. “A very long time.”

  That was all he was getting from Ryan on that topic apparently.

  At the break, Aidan nervously rushed into the base area. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “He’s still wraith-free,” Ryan snarked.

  Jeff burst out laughing. Aidan rolled his eyes. “You are a fucking ballbuster.”

  When they started filming again, Jeff asked Ryan, “How much else is out there? Besides entities or ghosts or whatever you call them?”

  Ryan shrugged. “Do not ask that which you are not prepared to know.”

  Jeff wasn’t sure he was prepared to know much more than he already did. He was still coming to terms—in a good way—with his knowledge about what Aidan, Will, and the others were.

  There was one more question he was curious about. “Can I ask you about the soul mate stuff?”

  Ryan smiled. “I think you should ask Aidan about that. It’s quite a commitment.”

  “Yeah, I sort of get that.”

  “I’ll let you in on something about Aidan. He’s lived a long life. Just because he’s lived a long life doesn’t necessarily mean he’s very experienced in some matters. Matters of the heart. He had to live a certain way for countless ages. When someone does that, it makes them very set in their ways and scared to step out of that self-constructed box.” He returned his attention to the monitor. “I think you are quite possibly the person to help him overcome his fear.”

  * * * *

  Cabrio and Aidan each managed to catch something on the FLIR and digital voice recorders. The other volunteer investigators had enough false scares that it would make a good show. Kal’s talented editing skills guaranteed a segment the audience would love. Paired with a first act of an investigation involving Will, no one would question his absence from this shoot.

  By the time the shoot wrapped, Jeff was comfortable talking to and working with Ryan, although they didn’t make any further mention of Jeff’s fledgling relationship with Aidan. Jeff rode with Aidan back to the office. He was preparing to leave when he turned to Aidan.

  “Want me to drive you home?”

  Aidan looked pleasantly surprised, then hesitant. “You need to get to sleep. I could just pop home.”

  “I know. But I have to go right by your place and I thought maybe I could take you home and then come get you later. We could go out for breakfast and ride in to work together.”

  Aidan briefly considered it, then nodded. “That sounds good.”

  On the way to his house, Aidan asked, “So what else did you and Ryan talk about?”

  Jeff shrugged. “The show. Things like that.”

  Aidan let the quiet lie for a moment. “What other things like that?”

  “Paranoid?”

  “Duh.”

  “I like Ryan. I’d like to hear the full story about you three guys one day.”

  Aidan’s face darkened as he stared out the passenger window. “It’s a long story, and not one I like talking about.”

  Jeff left him alone for the rest of the ride, sorry he’d mentioned it. Once they arrived, he caught Aidan’s hand before he could get out. He kissed him. “Want any company?”

  Aidan’s eyes burned into his. “Want isn’t the problem. I told you, I’m trying to do things the right way.”

  “Okay. When should I come get you?”

  “How about one?”

  Jeff nodded, but didn’t release Aidan’s hand. He waited until Aidan leaned in for one more kiss, which left them both out of breath.

  “See you at one, sugar.” Aidan reluctantly got out of the car and stood at his front door, watching as Jeff drove away.

  He turned to go inside and let out a startled scream as he nearly ran into Ryan.

  “Fuck! Would you please not do that!”

  Ryan smiled. “I shall only take a moment of your time. I’m not overstepping my bounds, I think, to tell you that Jeff seems rather fond of you. Also, you should, as they say, get off the pot where he’s concerned.”

  “Stay the fuck out of my love life!”

  “I’m not in your love life. I’m simply imparting a little information I thought you’d find helpful. You’re welcome.”

  “Thank you,” Aidan grumbled, shouldering Ryan aside so he could unlock his door and walk inside. Ryan followed, uninvited.

  “Jesus, Ryan, I’m so not in the mood to deal with you this morning.”

  “I’m going. I just wanted to add one thing.”

  “What?”

  Ryan’s face darkened. “Remember, he’s human. He might be willing to wait forever for you to quit being scared, but his body can’t.”

  Aidan’s heart nearly stopped. “No! Oh, Christ, please tell me he’s not—”

  “No!” Ryan shook his head. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!” He swore under his breath. “Aidan, listen to me. Quit being afraid.”

  Aidan set his jaw. “Point made. Now get the fuck out of my house.”

  Ryan disappeared.

  Aidan was still trying to slow his pulse. For a moment he’d been scared that…

  He closed his eyes. The thought of losing Jeff tore at him. As much as he hated the shit weasel, Aidan had to admit he was, in this case, dead-on.

  Now it was just a matter of getting over his fear of hurting Jeff and not being able to take care of him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Bera had watched and waited for several days. Once she’d followed Jeff home, she knew she could plan her approach. It did make it a little trickier this way, but maybe Ryan and the others wouldn’t see it coming. Especially with Will and his bimbo apparently out of town. Bera had even remembered at the last minute to leave off the perfume.

  The things she suffered through to get knocked up.

  Ryan had come too close to guessing her game for her comfort. If she could have her way with Aidan, she could get on with popping out a rug rat and finalize her plans.

  She couldn’t appear at his front door. Apparently the barrier thrown around the office to prevent her from appearing applied to the condo complex, too. She could drive in, but that meant risking someone spotting her who might recognize her.

  She set her trap for this morning. She knew Aidan had been out late the night before on a shoot while Jeff worked at the office, meaning Aidan would stay home this morning to sleep, leaving this one on his own. That was their usual pattern if Jeff didn’t work on the shoot.

  She pulled off to the side of the road where her quarry
would be sure to see her, right next to the condo complex driveway. She used a small screwdriver to let the air out of her rear passenger tire valve.

  Who said you couldn’t learn anything from watching TV?

  He appeared, right on time. She saw why Aidan had set his sights on him. He was a cutie, with a nice firm ass she normally wouldn’t mind digging her fingers into. Unfortunately she didn’t have time to seduce him.

  Bera put on her hassled, helpless look. Jeff pulled over.

  “Do you need some help, ma’am?”

  “I’m afraid so. I have a flat tire and I forgot my cell phone at home.”

  He got out and walked over. “I don’t mind helping you with it.”

  She smiled as she put her hand on his lower arm, on his bare flesh. She took a firm grip and felt his energy flow through her. “You are a real lifesaver.”

  He changed the tire for her and she profusely thanked him. He bashfully waved off her attempts to pay him. “No, that’s okay. I just live right here, no big deal. Glad I could help.”

  Jeff returned to his car, then Bera slid behind the wheel of her own and hurried off. Pulling into a nearby shopping center, she parked in the distance away from other cars and looked in the rearview mirror.

  She closed her eyes, remembered the feel of his energy, and shifted. When she opened her eyes, Jeff’s blue eyes looked back at her.

  Bera smiled.

  Jeff smiled back.

  Perfect.

  * * * *

  Aidan groaned at the sound of the doorbell. Fuck. He’d just gotten to sleep.

  He pulled on a pair of boxers and stumbled to the door, pleasantly surprised to find Jeff standing on his doorstep.

  “What—”

  Jeff pushed in and kissed Aidan, startling him. Aidan finally grabbed Jeff’s arms and managed to step back, holding him at a distance. “What’s going on?”

  Jeff smiled. Something tripped Aidan’s internal warning buzzers, waking him from what little sleep held him.

  “I want to be with you, Aidan. I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  “Um, yeah.” Something was seriously whacked. “No offense, but why aren’t you at the office? Who’s minding the store? Purs and Gery won’t be in until lunch. Will and Kal are up in Columbus. You’re supposed to open the joint today.”

  Jeff tried to step closer, but Aidan refused to let go of his arms. “It doesn’t matter. I need you. I need to be with you.” He pulled free and wrapped his arms around Aidan again, kissing him, grinding his hips against him, his hard cock pressing through his slacks. “Take me,” he whispered in Aidan’s ear. “You know you want to. Quit waiting.”

  This was wrong on about twenty different levels. That’s when Aidan spotted the chain around Jeff’s neck, which was almost completely concealed by his collar.

  “Volciamente appareo!”

  “Awww…fuck!” Halfway through the epithet, Jeff changed into Bera.

  Aidan stepped back. “Oh, come on, you fucking skank weed. You’ve gotta be shittin’ me!”

  She glared at him, her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with me? You can make love to me and I can look like him.” She shifted back into Jeff’s form and approached him. “Come on, sunshine. You know you want me. I can fuck your brains out and you know it. You’d love every second of it.”

  Bera’s words spoken in Jeff’s voice repulsed him. Aidan stumbled backward. “Look, for the last fucking time, I’m not gonna be no baby daddy for you. Go ask one of the other archdemons, you wanna get banged so bad.”

  “It’s not like you’d have to live with me!”

  “I am not sticking my dick in you! I don’t care who you look like!” Now he knew why he’d felt so alarmed, because even though she didn’t seem to be wearing perfume today, she didn’t smell like Jeff.

  How the fuck had she mimicked him? A deep river of panic washed through Aidan. Was Jeff okay?

  “I can look like anyone you want. Clooney?” Bera shifted. “How about Matt Damon?” She shifted again.

  Fuck, how many dudes had she tracked down to be able to do that? What truly terrified Aidan was now she could mimic the only man he really cared about.

  “I don’t want you no matter who you look like. Forget it. Get the fuck out of here. If you ever even think about looking at or looking like Jeff again, I’ll kick your skank ass to home and back!” He muttered an incantation, sending her away.

  Which relieved him, because he wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to do that to someone like her. Apparently he was.

  Thank the gods.

  Following that repeated the worried thought, where was Jeff? And was he okay?

  * * * *

  “Fuck!” Bera stormed around her living room, then realized she was wasting time. She fished her other amulet out from under her collar, opened the barrier, raced through and closed it behind her. She’d have to spend a little time on Tavares, let Ryan chill out. If he found her immediately, he’d ban her for sure. Or worse. No doubt the great doofy one would be screaming for Ryan to take care of this.

  This was all her mother’s fault. Stupid bitch. If she hadn’t pissed off the Dodeks in the first place by sleeping with her old man, this would be moot. She was an outcast with the Tanukis because she was a half-breed. No way in home could she ever gain a foothold there or get any power. Stupid fucks and their “pure genes” anyway. That left her trying to claw her way to the top of the archdemon pile by whatever means necessary.

  She’d be damned if she’d live her life as a half-breed whipping girl for two different species. Fuck that shit. She was Eros’s daughter for crying out loud! It was like everyone expected her to gratefully accept whatever crumbs they threw her way. She was the daughter of a Demi!

  She would not spend her life groveling for favors like that. But she was running out of time if she wanted to guarantee herself more than just a passing footnote in The Firm’s history.

  Stupid fucking Tanuki genes anyway.

  Bera returned to her apartment in Tavares. Not as nice as the one on-Earth, but that would change once she got her way. No one would dare fuck with her when she was carrying the grandchild of Eros and Hades, whether they liked her or not. She’d already looked into it, knew her position inside The Firm would be secure despite being a half-breed. No one would screw with a line heir child. Or its mother. Her kid would be next in line for the head spot…

  Well, it would if she made sure any snotlings Will had never made it past puberty. Bera grinned. She could take out Ryan one way or another. Stupid bastard didn’t have a soul mate. How hard could it be?

  It would be her show from that point on.

  With her kid in the driver’s seat, no one could fuck with her. She’d show them all they couldn’t piss on someone and get away with it.

  Boorman appeared in Bera’s Tavares living room. “Well?”

  She took a deep breath and tried not to express revulsion at his appearance. “I’m working on it.”

  “Then why are you here? Working on it requires being there, does it not?”

  She took a nervous step back. “These things take time. I’ve got to be careful how I proceed.”

  He bent down, his breath hot in her face. She fought the urge to gag. “Time is a luxury I do not have. Neither do you.” He might have been handsome among his own race at one time, but an ugly scar creased his face, from the upper right corner of his scalp, through his right eye, across his nose and lips to his chin, as if someone had tried to split his head open like a melon.

  Boy, she wondered who he’d pissed off. Not to mention if he looked that bad and survived, what’d the other guy look like?

  “I’m working on it! You don’t understand what they’ll do to me if I don’t get this right!”

  He stepped closer, forcing her against the wall. The low, growling timbre of his voice scared her even more than his butt-ugly looks. “You don’t understand what I’ll do to you if you don’t get it right this time.”

  She didn’t da
re breathe again until he was gone.

  Fuck.

  She collapsed on her couch. She wondered if this had been the smartest thing to get involved in. He’d seemed like a good idea at the time, the brawn she needed to back up her brains to kick Ryan out of the top dog slot. The perfect arrangement. Until all her fucking plans went to home in a handbasket the first time around. She’d never expected that snafu.

  Fucking Abby. She just had to call Ryan to help her and ruin everything.

  Well, Boorman insisted it would work when she revealed her new plans. He had a lot of experience in this area. He wouldn’t back a losing proposition, would he? Despite his looks, he was a smart guy.

  Bera sat on her couch and planned.

  * * * *

  Aidan appeared in the office and ran to Jeff’s door. Dressed exactly as Bera had been, Jeff was just setting his laptop case on his desk.

  “Aid? What’s going on?”

  Aidan grabbed him by the shoulders and looked at him, then closed his eyes and inhaled.

  It was him.

  He threw his arms around a now very confused Jeff.

  “Aid? What’s going on? Why are you half naked? Not that I’m complaining.”

  Aidan kissed him, long and deep. “Long story.” He touched Jeff’s face and looked into his eyes. “Have you had any weird contact with a woman in the past few days? Or shaken hands with a woman?”

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “This is really important. Seriously, dude.”

  Jeff shook his head. “No—well, I changed a lady’s tire this morning. She’d pulled over in front of the condo complex. I saw her when I was leaving and stopped to help.”

  “Shit.” Aidan sat in Jeff’s chair and shook his head. “Red hair, dressed to the nines?”

  He nodded. “Yeah? How’d you know?”

  “Ryan, appareo omni.”

  Ryan appeared immediately, holding a cup of coffee and scowling. “This better be good, Faust.”

  “Bera.”

  He had Ryan’s immediate attention. “What happened?”