Demon Seed

  How much could he lie to her without her calling him on it? “He never would have let you die, Kal. You know that.”

  “That’s not answering me. You wouldn’t have let me die. Don’t think I don’t see through your act.”

  His mind whirled for an acceptable answer. “There was never any question in my mind that he would take you as his soul mate.”

  They pulled up to a red light. He felt her hand on his arm. He tried not to fall into her dusty-peridot-green eyes, but she always had this power over him.

  “You don’t have a soul mate, Ry. You lied that Will was the only one strong enough. I might not know much about you guys and how The Firm is set up, but I’m not a total idiot. You’re head of The Firm, that means you’re powerful. You also don’t have a soul mate.”

  “Are you happy with Will?”

  “Of course I am!”

  “Then that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

  She must have sensed that was all she’d get from him. She sat back, quiet for the rest of the ride, the better part of an hour. When they pulled into the garage at the network headquarters, Ryan turned to her and smiled. “Ready?”

  “The office, I guess. It’s still early. I might be able to get some work done.”

  “Right. Have everything?”

  Kal grabbed her purse. “Okay.” She closed her eyes. Ryan fought the urge to lean over and kiss her.

  “Until next time, sweetheart.” Ryan sent her back and closed his eyes. He wished he could bottle her scent forever.

  * * * *

  Aidan wasn’t in their office. Kal walked down the hall and found Jeff hunched over his computer. “How’s it coming?”

  When Jeff straightened in his chair, she heard his back pop. “It’s coming. How many pounds did you gain?”

  “Ugh. Too many, probably.” She rubbed his shoulders for him while he closed his eyes and happily groaned. “Thanks for offering to rescue me. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. Did you get to eat lunch?”

  “Yeah, I caught a bite with Becky.” She realized after she said it that she didn’t include Ryan’s presence in the retelling. She didn’t correct herself. “Where is everyone?”

  “Will and Aid are out on a normal job. Purs and Gery are scouting for a show.” He tipped his neck from side to side as she worked the kinks out of his shoulders. “That feels good.”

  “We’re going to nickname you Quasimodo, you keep staying bent over that keyboard. You’ll end up with a hunchback.” She gave him a final pat and sat next to him. He had the magazine laid out on his monitor. “Are you happy working here?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. It’s good to relax and not stress out over stuff.”

  She smiled, knowing full well what kind of “stuff” he meant. Stuff like their fathers harassing them. “And you’ve got Aidan.”

  He blushed a little, but returned her smile. “Yeah. There is that. Thank you for asking them to hire me, Kal. I really appreciate it.”

  “Hey, Doofalicious is totally gaga over you, don’t worry. Between him and me and Will, you’ve got job security.” She leaned back in her chair. “I mean, I’ve only known him a couple of months longer than you, but I think he’s a lot happier with you here.”

  Jeff looked like he wanted to ask a question. After a long moment, he spit it out. “Can you tell me about the soul mate stuff?”

  Kal fought the urge to ask and lost. “You guys are—”

  He shook his head. “No, not yet. We’re not even… you know. We just talk and spend a lot of time together right now. I really like him. A lot.” He turned to her. “You know him better than I do. I don’t want to look like a total jerk and just throw myself at him if he’s not really into me.”

  Kal grinned. “Well, I’m pretty confident he’s into you and really likes you, too. A lot. There’s not a bunch I can tell you about the soul mate stuff though. I don’t know a lot about the process. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone.” She didn’t want to tell him everything that happened in her case. Even though it was the wraith in control of her, she still felt ashamed of how she’d acted while it possessed her. Only Will and the other archdemons knew the full story.

  “I had to consent to it,” she continued. “They can’t do it without the person asking and wanting it. But if you’re not…” They’d had a similar religious upbringing and she knew he was as uncomfortable talking about sex as she was. “Talk to him, Jeff. Aidan really likes you—”

  Her phone went off, a custom ring tone, interrupting her. She frowned when she looked at the screen.

  “What’s wrong?” Jeff asked.

  “It’s my mom.”

  Chapter Seven

  Laura mentally checked another item off her massive wedding to-do list. She felt a little guilty that she planned such a large celebration when Kal was happy to do something small.

  But only a little.

  Kal was her baby, special even from the day she was conceived. Her husband had gently laughed off her assertions, telling her she’d been napping and dreamed it. Laura knew the truth.

  Her baby girl was special.

  Dream or not, it was all coming true.

  Laura was thoroughly convinced an angel visited and spoke to her that day. Kenneth certainly hadn’t protested when she immediately went to him in his study and persuaded him to go to their bedroom in the middle of the afternoon.

  Just like the angel told her, she’d had a little baby girl to love and cherish and raise the right way. Named her Kalyani, like he’d suggested. A little girl who would one day marry someone special, someone important.

  And Kal was. Okay, so Will was a TV show host, who cared? He had an ageless air about him that Laura knew on first meeting bespoke the man who should marry her daughter.

  Kenneth and his misguided plans. Poor Jeff, she wished she’d stood her ground years earlier and made him stop pestering the kids about getting together, but it seemed harmless enough at the time.

  Laura thought about that angel every day of her daughter’s life. His beautiful, sad green eyes, almost like he’d been crying. And how strange that he’d spoken with a British accent.

  Funny the things the mind does. No wings either. Everything had come true so far, just as he’d said it would. Kalyani would marry an important, special man who loved her very much, who would hold her heart and cherish her, and her life from there on would be blessed.

  When Laura returned home, she found Kenneth dozing on the living room sofa in front of the TV. Part of her wished he still worked so he wasn’t underfoot all of the time. Part of her felt relieved about the sudden change in his demeanor. He certainly was more relaxed and pleasant to be around lately. While she sometimes wished she had the house to herself more often, having him in a far better mood than he’d been in years was a relief. It was almost as if he’d struggled to get Kal married off to Jeff, and then when Kenneth realized that Kal was going to live her life her way regardless of what he felt, he’d popped a gasket.

  In the best possible way.

  Kal had admitted to her outside his earshot that Jeff was happy and possibly dating Aidan. While Laura didn’t approve in theory, in her heart she was happy he’d found happiness. Wasn’t that the important thing?

  Her little girl was happy, Jeff was happy, and with Kenneth chilling out, as the kids said, now both of them were happy, too.

  An hour later he was still asleep and she went to wake him. He was slow to rouse and looked disoriented at first. “What time is it?” he mumbled.

  “It’s after three. If you sleep all day you’ll never sleep tonight.”

  He sat up and nodded, rubbing his head.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Just a headache. My stomach’s a little upset, too. I think I’ll go upstairs and lie down. Can you bring me a glass of cold water?”

  “Of course.” She watched him slowly mount the stairs, fighting the worry pressing her heart. She went to the kitchen to get his water when she hear
d a loud crash upstairs. “Kenneth?”

  No response.

  She hurried upstairs and found him lying unconscious on the bedroom floor. She screamed his name and shook him. When he didn’t open his eyes, she grabbed the phone. With trembling fingers and unable to stop crying, she dialed 911.

  By the time the paramedics arrived, he’d awoke and opened his eyes. She sobbed with relief, but he wasn’t making any sense and was too weak to get up from the floor. She followed the ambulance to the hospital and within an hour he was sitting up and talking, practically back to himself. They were still awaiting test results.

  She wanted to call Kal immediately. He put his foot down. “Don’t call her over something like this. She’s probably on a plane anyway. Wasn’t she flying back to Tampa this afternoon?”

  Laura nodded even while something inside her worried, pecking at her intuition. These weren’t simple headaches. She dreaded what the doctors would tell them.

  After a while, Laura couldn’t stand it. She excused herself to the bathroom and called Kal, intending to leave her a voice mail and surprised when her daughter answered her phone.

  * * * *

  “Mom, calm down. What’s wrong?”

  “Your father’s in the hospital.”

  “What! What happened?”

  “I don’t know. He wasn’t feeling good and said he was going upstairs and he passed out. He’s awake now. They’re still running tests to figure out what happened.”

  “I’ll—” Kal’s jaw snapped shut. She couldn’t say she was back in Tampa, there was no way she could explain that time difference. “I’ll change my plans and come over. I haven’t left Columbus yet. Where is he? Which hospital?”

  Jeff handed Kal a notepad and pen. Still feeling stunned, Kal jotted down the information. “Okay. I’ll be there soon.” She hung up, shaking. She started to summon Will when she realized she couldn’t. Not if he was on a normal job, he couldn’t just disappear from wherever he was. And Aidan was with him.

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Jeff asked.

  “My dad’s in the hospital.” She closed her eyes and tried to decide what to do.

  “You go and I’ll contact Will for you.”

  She shook her head. “He can’t just show up. He’s supposed to be here in Tampa, not up in Columbus.”

  “Oh. Right.” It was easy for Jeff to forget things like that now that he was enmeshed in their inner circle.

  “I’ll call Ryan,” she said. “He’ll know how to handle it.” Kal ran for her office, grabbed her purse, and then closed her eyes. “Ryan, vado tu appareo.” When she opened them, she was standing in his Atlanta condo. Ryan looked worried.

  “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

  Kal didn’t plan on it, but she collapsed against him and cried, telling him about the phone call. He comforted her, holding her close. “Shh. It’s okay. It’s all right, love,” he whispered, his arms around her, gently rubbing her back.

  He softly hummed to her, a tune she’d swear she’d never heard before, but it sounded strangely familiar and instantly calmed and relaxed her.

  “Close your eyes, pet.” She did and felt the shift. When she looked, they were in his Columbus office.

  He took her hand. “Come on, I’ll drive you. You’ll need the car. Where is he?”

  With a trembling hand, she handed him the paper she’d ripped from Jeff’s notepad. He nodded. “Let’s get you there. Then I’ll summon Will for you, right?”

  Kal nodded, glad to let him take over. He dropped her off at the ER entrance. Before she stepped from the car, Ryan caught her hand. “Kal, I’ll take care of contacting Will, all right? You were very smart to call me. I know this is stressful, but I’m sure he’ll understand.”

  She nodded and hugged him again. “I owe you big-time, Ry. Thank you so much for being there for me.”

  He closed his eyes and tried not to focus on the scent of her shampoo. “You owe me nothing, sweetheart. I told you, I’m always here for you. Now go on. I’ll check on you in a few minutes, I’ll stay out here. Summon me if you need me, promise?”

  “Okay.” He watched her walk into the ER before he drove around to the far side of the parking lot. He closed his eyes and searched, homing in on Will. He was with Aidan, which made it easier.

  Unfortunately, they were also with several other people in a meeting. Ryan couldn’t simply summon Will to him. He whipped out his cell and called Will, sending him the thought to answer.

  Will powerfully resisted Ryan, blocking his thought and ignoring the call, sending it straight to voice mail.

  “Bloody hell, Will.” Ryan hung up and immediately called Aidan, sending him a thought.

  For once, Aidan responded. He answered his phone after it rang three times.

  “What is it? We’re in a meeting.”

  “Get Will. Now.”

  “What—”

  “Aidan, do not argue with me. This is urgent.”

  Aidan hesitated, then sighed. “He’s gonna be pissed. Hold on.” Ryan heard him step inside the room again, murmur something to Will, then noises like the phone was exchanged. A moment later Will spoke, his voice sounding flat and angry.

  “What?”

  “I need you here. Now.”

  “Why?”

  He sensed the chill of fear in Will’s voice. “Kal’s fine, it’s not her, but she needs you. End your meeting and get someplace private. Call me as soon as you are alone and I’ll tell you.” Ryan hung up, hoping his tone of voice would spur Will to prudent action. Thirty seconds later, Will called back from his own cell.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Appareo.”

  Will appeared in the passenger seat. When he saw where they were, his eyes widened. “What’s going on?”

  “Her father. He collapsed earlier.” Ryan gave him the quick version. Will reached for the door handle, but Ryan grabbed his arm. “You’re supposed to be in Tampa. You can’t go waltzing in there yet.”

  “She needs me, dammit!”

  “Will.” His old friend finally turned to look at him. “You will cause her more stress and grief if she has to try to come up with explanations for her parents. She hates to lie, you know that. This has been hard enough on her. She called me and I promised her I would get you, but you must show restraint.”

  Ryan knew it was Will’s sheer…will keeping him from bolting inside to be with her. He finally nodded.

  “Let me go in and check and see what’s happening,” Ryan suggested. “I’ll tell her you’re here and she can come out. Then we will decide what to do. All right?”

  Will’s jaw tightly clenched, but he finally nodded. “Okay.”

  “Right.” Ryan walked inside and closed his eyes, easily tracking her. He didn’t want to intrude, and a few doors down he stopped in the hallway.

  “Love, how is he? Answer silently.”

  He caught her surprise and she replied, “We’re waiting for tests. He’s awake.”

  “Will is outside. He can’t come in here just yet, you know. Can you come out for a moment?”

  “I’ll be right there. Where are you?”

  “In the hall, a few doors down.”

  Kal’s voice drifted from an open doorway as she murmured something to her parents. Then her footsteps sounded on the linoleum and she was standing by his side. Her eyes looked red, her face puffy. He ached for her, wanted to put his arms around her and knew that would only make matters worse if Will saw him with her like that or smelled his scent stronger on her than it already was.

  He fell in step with her and led her outside to where he’d parked the car. Will leaned against the trunk, his arms crossed. When she saw him, she ran to him and he hugged her.

  As it should be.

  Ryan watched them for a moment, letting them have their greeting. When he approached, Will lifted his head.

  “Thanks, Ryan.” Will’s emotion-choked voice opened a little hope that maybe one day Ryan could have his soul brothers back.


  He wasn’t hoping too much. It was still raw and painful to see his old love, even two lives and eons distant, in the arms of another man.

  “Of course.” He handed Will the car keys. “Keep this, you’ll need it. I would suggest you wait another hour or so before going inside, say that I made changes to the schedule or something and flew you up unexpectedly.”

  Kal was so embedded in the comfort of her soul mate’s arms that she didn’t move. “Thank you, Ry,” she mumbled against Will’s chest.

  “You’re welcome.” He walked around the car, then bent over as if to tie his shoes. He disappeared, returning to Atlanta.

  After a long moment Kal mumbled, “I should get back in there. I don’t want to miss talking to his doctors.” She sighed. “I won’t want to leave you if I stay here too long.”

  After a few minutes, Will gently untangled her from him and walked her to the ER entrance. “I’ll be inside in an hour. If you need me, come outside and I’ll be here.”

  She kissed him one last time, and he watched her walk away. The jealous soul mate in him smelled Ryan on her, but he closed his eyes and let rational thought take over. Ryan had done the right thing, the smart thing. Kal had been understandably upset. Ryan took care of her for him—as he’d promised—until Will arrived. Ryan had hugged her, nothing more. Will wouldn’t begrudge that despite the strange internal alarm wanting to stir his anger and jealousy.

  He returned to the car and called Ryan on his cell.

  “How is she?”

  “She’s okay.” This took a lot out of Will, although slowly readjusting his attitude toward Ryan after all these countless years was gradually becoming easier. “Thank you.”

  Ryan paused, apparently taken aback. “Will, I keep my word. When I told you I would help, I meant it. You should know that.”

  “I just…” Will pinched the bridge of his nose and took a long, deep breath before slowly letting it out. “I will get along with you for Kal’s sake. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know if I can ever get over what you did. So don’t read more into what I’m saying than I mean. I do appreciate you looking after her for me. That’s all I wanted to say.”