“Any of my three favorite men will do.”
Cody nods and pours me a tall glass of whisky on the rocks. I always start my evenings with Jim Beam, Jack Daniels or Jose Cuervo. I gulp down the first glass, but sip the second one. Pure demons can ingest their Energy undiluted, but as a demion I need mine infused with alcohol. It’s the only way my modified body can process the magical elixir. Without my daily fix, my blood thickens and feels uncomfortably cold; my muscles get stiff and achy and my powers weaken. It’s even worse when I’m agitated, like now.
“You okay, Lucky? You seem…tense.” Cody chooses his words carefully. Years of dealing with unpredictable demons has taught him well.
“I’m fine. Just need a pick-me-up. Been a rough couple of nights.” I swivel my barstool and survey the scene. The usual crowd mingles around. All of them, like me, forced to come here and drink from the Source.
I’ve always found it mildly amusing that even in Demon Bar, the occupants tend to cluster according to type, rank, and status. A group of pure, highest-level demons are playing pool in the back corner, swigging their beers. Although they look human, unlike the demions who age and eventually die, demons never do either. Immortals, all of them, they look exactly the same as they always have for many millennia.
A table of demions —doctors, lawyers, CEO’s of major international corporations, several famous movie stars and even a former President and Vice President of the United States—sit on the other side of the room sipping champagne and keeping to themselves. The creatures—demons and demions blended with animal DNA—huddle by the fire pit telling each other raucous tales of mayhem and murder. And as usual, the vamps are gathered in the back, away from the rest of us.
All of them my tribe. My family.
Cody says something, but my attention is fixated on Ivy’s mystery man who is staring at me intently. She noticed him a few nights ago and has been curious about him ever since, but I’d been too busy with the Amazèa to give him much thought. Now that I’m looking at him I think it’s time to reconsider my indifference. This guy is hot, even by demion standards where beauty and perfection are the norm. I could use a distraction...
“…And you’re not even listening to me, are you,” Cody lightly swats my arm. “Something interesting over there?” His eyes have a mischievous gleam.
I return my attention to him and take another drink. “Nothing that interesting. What’s up?”
“I was just saying how there’s something going on around here that has some of us on edge lately.”
“What do you mean?” I glance over my shoulder to give the sexy stranger a small smile, but his back is already turned.
Cody leans closer and drops his voice. “I don’t want to be spreading stories, but I want you to be extra careful out there. I’ve been hearing whispers of some trouble.”
“Like what?” He has my full attention now. If anyone has gotten wind of my hunting the Amazèa I’m in unspeakable danger. Other than Tatiana, only Bones knows what I’ve been up to. But I trust him with my life.
“Some funny stuff…some things that no one can put their finger on exactly. Unexplained disappearances of a few demions, some Sapies found murdered in Pine Canyon. And there were three border battles in the last week alone. I dunno. It just seems like something’s up…nothing good.”
I relax slightly and take a few more sips. Cody is so sweet, but he has a tendency to overreact, usually out of fear. He’s one of the few demions in existence who, for whatever reason, never received active physical powers. Bones and I both agree that this flaw makes him more jittery than the rest of us.
“Doesn’t sound like much to be alarmed at. Demions are unpredictable and often go underground for one reason or another. Pine Canyon is thirty miles away from Dove Creek, and Sapies murder each other all the time. And I’m not surprised at the border skirmishes…I’m only surprised it was as quiet as it was for so long. Besides, if there was any real danger, Bones would have said something to me. In fact, he was complaining about being bored.”
Cody reluctantly nods and pours himself a drink. “S’pose you’re right. I dunno. Things were just kind of quiet ‘round here for so long, then all of a sudden things started happening. It just doesn’t sit well with me, is all.” He takes a few nervous gulps.
Poor Cody. It must be awful being so helpless. He may as well be a pure Sapie. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Besides, isn’t it a little weirder that we weren’t fighting with the border tribes? I mean, come on, we’re demons. It’s amazing the peace agreements lasted as long as they have.”