Page 11 of Tortured Soul
“I did. It was brief and uncomfortable.”
He chuckled, shaking his head softly as he navigated on his computer. How did they even get electricity and internet here?
“You’ll have to excuse him. He’s…a little overwhelmed these days. We’ve had more Earthwalkers murdered these last months than usual. Humans are breathing down our necks, threats coming at our doors, and he’s working hard to find those responsible.”
“He’s hardly pleasant to be around, yes.”
But if he was working to solve Earthwalkers’ murders, maybe he was neither Divine nor Hellriser…If Kai was the head of all the demon kinds and Jeremiah was in charge of the angels, maybe Arc was—
“He can be a lot, yes. But he means well, I promise.”Sure…“Anyway, I’ll get you sorted. What’s your name?”
I cleared my throat. “Lola. Fairwright.”
His hand froze on the keyboard as his eyes drifted to me, scanning my face. My hair. I forced myself to stay still, not to avoid his gaze or to lift my hand to check—once again—that my ears were covered.
“I’ll be damned,” he said finally, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve been trying to get you in my tied group fordecadesonly to have another Arch steal you away every time.”
I arched my brow. Kai was an Archdemon?
“I mean, back then you went by Lily Ston—”
“What?” I cut him off.
“In the late nineties, I wasthisclose to getting you in my group but stupid Klaus got you instead. After him, you took time off for a few years and went off the grid, and when you came back, changing your name as Lola, that arrogant bastard Vigil managed to get your contract,and—”
“Yeah, I’ve been transferred around a lot,” I interrupted him again, my tone colder than I intended. “Is there a point to that discussion?”
Kai’s lips parted in surprise.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. When I dissolved my last tied group and came here after the war, I was just sad I never got to meet you and work with you.”
With? Archdemons were usually pretty adamant and clear on the hierarchy. You worked for them. Doing their bidding, while others, lower ranked, were doing yours.
His eyes roamed the side of my head, where my hidden ears were.
“You would have been very happy working with my last tied group. I praise myself for having the least amount of transfers among my peers. My ties were always treated well and enjoyed working with me. Have you heard of Vladimir Maartos?”
If I heard of Vladimir Maartos? Who hadn’t? The first Vampire. The one caricatured in books and movies such as Dracula and Nosferatu. Vampires being Earthwalkers with Divine origins, their blood ran gold. They got their thirst for blood from them as well…
I nodded as he continued, a smile on his face. “He was in my last tie. Has been for over a century before I dissolved it and he went to another Arch. As you know, vampires don’t answer to Hellrisers, and yet, he stayed with me for a very long time,” he said proudly. “Anyway, if I'd known the newcomer Arc saw in his vision was a demon, I would have been there to welcome you myself.”
“In his vision?” I asked.
Kai’s eyes went back to his computer. “Arc saw you coming. He always does. We weren’t expecting you to be a demon, and I think that’s why Carter was upset and Arc was a little suspicious of you.”
Vision?What kind of Immortal had visions? It wasn’t a known power for Hellrisers nor Divine. I didn’t know enough about Earthwalkers, but I never heard anyone displaying such abilities.
“Anyway, we’re sorry. You should have received the welcome you deserved and you didn’t. I’ll sort you into a house so you can get settled and rest for the night, you must be tired.”
“I am.”
Running and hiding constantly for days had been exhausting. Even without the couple of attacks, I probably would’ve arrived here completely drained anyway.
“So, Lola Fairwright. Succubus. I know you’re first of your kind, but do you want it written down in your file?”
Did I?
“Do I have a choice?”
