Chapter 6
SIX
Josiah
Kenneth was a mid-level demon who was freed from captivity a while ago. He’d been one of many who had been rounded up and imprisoned by high-level and royal demons and used for food. I was uncertain of the full story other than to know the higher demons had been through some major changes that affected their lives here in the Third Realm—the living space of humans, and another realm they frequented, the Fourth.
My own life in the Second Realm had prevented me from ever getting involved and any time I’d spent in the Fourth Realm was scant.
Those events had also led to magic being compromised. I’d been affected myself, inconvenienced. For example, I could no longer transfer myself between realms in the blink of an eye, or transfer myself within the realms at all.
Travel between realms was now bumpy and could be time consuming, taking more energy than necessary and the cessation of travel within realms was solved by modern transportation. So far it appeared these novel nuisances were permanent.
The whole chain of events had led to Kenneth regaining his freedom and earning a job here at the club.
Micha and I stood up when he approached the table. “Welcome,” the man said, quickly shaking our hands. After he seated himself, we returned to our chairs.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us,” Micha said.
I signaled to our waitress to bring more beverages. “Yes, thank you,” I replied. “We requested to see you due to a breach in our security.”
Kenneth’s eyes darted up, a nervous flicker crossing his gaze. He was aware—but he was about to attempt to deceive us. “May I ask what that has to do with me?”
He pulled his arms onto his lap and sat back as I answered, “A client of yours, a Mister Boccelli.” I paused. “We’ll be collecting him.”
Kenneth glanced at Micha, who then added, “Boccelli has been distributing an unauthorized product under the cover of your business. We are aware he is an important client of yours and are choosing to respectfully inform you of our intentions.”
We had no such knowledge, but politeness dictated we suggest it.
The man leaned forward slightly. “I was unaware. I can speak to him.”
“That is unnecessary, we’ll take it from here,” I stated.
The server stopped several feet from our table, and I beckoned her forward with a couple fingers, leaving my arm on the chair rest. She deposited our drinks, and a whiskey for our host before retreating to the bar.
One of Kenneth’s arms snaked up and snatched his tumbler before he sipped his beverage, hesitated, and then downed the rest in an audible swallow.
We wouldn’t get anything else from the man and his discomfort made it clear he would do nothing to stop the flow of our drugs into his bar. The tension in the atmosphere was pungent; he wanted us to leave. The bitter flavor of his fear made my stomach growl in hunger.
I picked up my glass and sipped lightly while scanning the room. A pretty redhead in a white satin get-up was gracefully dancing on the stage with a male in a pair of pants, belt opened and zipper down. The female was human, the male an angel. The woman softly lowered to her knees and placed her hands on his hips before gently tugging his slacks downward and freeing his cock. She took him in one hand, her other cupping his sack before she massaged him lightly. The angel then placed his hands on her cheeks and guided her head forward, her lips parted.
“Josiah?”
“Mm?” I turned to Micha, setting my empty glass down.
“I was telling Kenneth the possibility may be open for cooperation at a later date, and I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
My pulse was elevated and the deep rolls of bass sounding from overhead speakers vibrated my chest. My tongue felt heavy and my saliva sticky as a mild buzz coursed through me.
I needed to feed traditionally; I needed to take a woman.
I needed to get out of this club.
My irritation grew as my sensory overload threatened to spill over in the ugliest of ways. My lack of control was unsettling. Abruptly, I stood up. “We’re leaving. Micha?” I gave him a pointed look and he rose much more gracefully than I, a question in his gaze.
“We’ll be in touch,” I said, holding my hand out.
Kenneth gripped it weakly and gave me a small shake. “Talk soon,” he muttered.
Wiping my hand on my pants, I turned on my heel and strode out of the private bar. “Find Boccelli,” I ordered my friend.
I watched as Micha scanned and scented for the man, since he was the only one of us who had been in Boccelli’s presence and would be able to locate him. “Outside, nearby,” he mused.
The hostess’s, “Thank you for stopping by,” faded behind us as we stepped into the night. Pausing just outside the doors, Micha pulled on a pair of leather gloves and moved to the sidewalk. He held perfectly still as I stopped beside him and closed my eyes, attempting to shut out the cacophony around us.
Exhaust, fried chicken, semen, cheap perfume, and decaying plant matter stung my nostrils while the sound of traffic, the drone of the club’s music, and a mishmash of voices raped my eardrums. I opened my eyes, and the glare of streetlights and glow of neon signs left illuminated trailing signatures when I swiveled my head.
“You feel it. It's just going to get worse,” he whispered. I ignored him. He was referencing his ridiculous theory that we were cursed.
My eyes shuttered a second time as I took a deep breath. I felt Micha’s hand on my shoulder before he raised a leather-clad finger to my cheek, affectionately smoothing it along the bone. “My friend, let’s go,” he spoke softly as I took momentary comfort in his touch.
I took another deep breath, and nodded, indicating I was ready. Micha was used to my lack of self-care, my neglecting of physical needs as of late. I’d been entirely too wrapped up with making sure Onychinus would be a raging success.
A fresh kill was exactly what I needed.
Micha strolled down the sidewalk, taking a right before halting in front of a diner. A large picture window displayed the man in question, nursing what appeared to be a cup of coffee. “Fool,” I muttered. “I’ll retrieve him.”
Approaching the restaurant, the double doors flew open, banging noisily against the glass entryway. I crossed the floor quickly, ignoring the shocked stares of the other patrons.
“What?” Boccelli snarled, setting his mug down on the scratched wooden table.
Shoving a hand inside my suit jacket pocket, I kept my eyes on him and slid on a buttery soft pair of leather gloves. I liked this pair very much; the paper-thin material was exquisitely light and malleable. It was a shame to waste them on excrement, but I’d have another pair purchased for me as soon as possible. I made a mental note to add it to Christine’s task list—I’d have her order five pairs—before I swung around the table, lifting the man as if I were his feline mother.
Boccelli’s legs kicked uselessly against empty air as I carried him outdoors and a couple of his fellow diners gasped. They quickly averted their gazes, presumably not wanting to attract the attention of a man with black eyes who was clearly capable of ending their midnight snack earlier than planned.
Micha followed behind us while we walked the corridor alongside the diner. A streetlight by the sidewalk provided scant illumination to the narrow alley, but I didn’t need it. Dropping our captive to the wet cobblestone, I addressed him, “Mister Boccelli.”
He scooted backward a few inches, glancing back and forth. “What do you people want?”
“Do you recognize my friend, Mister Calthia? Surely, you’ve met him before. He remembers you.”
“No,” he spat and got onto all fours before standing up.
I took a step toward him, crowding him against the side of the building. “You took my product. You stole from me. From us .”
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. “No...no, I didn’t.”
Lifting my hand, I pressed a finger to the center of his forehead, right above his eyebrows. Images and sensations filled my mind, a picture of the man’s life, revealing all I needed to know. I didn’t use my trained magic often, preferring a more physical touch, but I needed the information contained in his dried-up brain. “Not only are you distributing my drugs, but you’re also poisoning women with chemicals to disable them.” I flicked a glance at Micha, who nodded slightly, taking the news in.
“Taking advantage of helpless, unwilling women excites you?” I lowered my voice to a notch above a whisper and curled my arm around his lower back, tugging him against me.
Micha moved forward so he was only a couple of feet away from me, watching intently.
“Does it turn you on when they can’t reject your shriveled cock?” I spoke softly beside his ear and pulled the man closer between my hips, making sure he felt my breath against the side of his face. “I bet you don’t feed them any of my drugs, do you?”
If the man had, he wouldn’t have any victims. The bonus of intuition would’ve protected them. “If you’d sampled Onychinus you’d know what was going to happen next, wouldn’t you?” He’d have been tuned into their pain, too empathetic to commit his crimes.
The man was trembling in my arms and his disgust at being so close to another male was palpable. “Look I don’t want any trouble; I’ll give you the money,” he whined.
My peek into his mind shined a spotlight on the lack of what he’d just promised due to his lifestyle and habits. The man was a materialistic predator who simply needed to be disposed of.
I was a predator as well, but I did not harm innocent or unwilling women.
“Stop touching me you disgusting pig,” Boccelli complained, trying to get away from my grasp.
Micha caught my glance and gestured his consent, a gleam in his eye. “But you do enjoy unwelcome touch, do you not?” I turned back to my captive and yanked him by the front of his chest to face Micha.
A flicker of my fingers and Micha’s belt unbuckled. Then the clasp of his pants unlatched, and his zipper slowly descended. “What the fuck is this? Let go of me,” Boccelli yelled.
Bending my head, I said, “You want this.” I licked the side of his neck with a long stroke and then nibbled his ear lobe just as I heard the patter of liquid. A noxious odor then filled the alley way. “Micha, give him what he’s begging for, slake his lust.”
Micha tucked a hand inside his pants and pulled out his hardened cock.
“No, no. What are you going to do?” The man was nearly crying.
“Look at his magnificent cock. Look how long and girthy it is. I bet you want to wrap your lips around it,” I hummed against his head. “Think of how it will feel against your tongue.”
I let go of the man after making sure I left him compelled to remain there. He couldn’t move if he wanted to and he was going to get a taste of his own medicine.
Grabbing my friends cock I worked him up and down, my lips parted and eyes hooded, while staring at the thief. “Christ, Josiah, are you going to buy me breakfast in the morning?” Micha hissed at me. “Kill him and let’s go.”
If I kept this up, I’d end up wearing my friend’s cum, and it wouldn’t be the first time. I took him in my mouth for a moment, wrapping my tongue around his dick while he moaned. Boccelli whimpered and Micha’s balls tightened before I released him.
“I’m making him relive his own fantasies,” I snapped at my friend, standing up straight. If only Micha had gotten a peek into the asshole’s mind and seen what I saw.
Grabbing Boccelli, I shoved his neck to the side and stretched my mouth. My canine teeth lengthened, and I pressed in, tasting salt and oil on his skin while snapping his tendons. I dug at his open flesh slightly with my tongue, searching for the two internal jugular veins and then I pierced them.
As his blood flowed through my mouth, I felt my muscles relaxing with each swallow. I had to close the door I’d opened and block out the images this man’s DNA released as I supped, he was no one I cared to examine any deeper.
Backing away from my dinner, I twisted my head and raised my brows. “Hungry?”
Micha took him from me and finished him off. “Disgusting,” he muttered, shoving the body to the ground.
“Now you understand,” I replied.
“Some things,” he muttered. “Not everything.”
I bristled. “Don’t play with words with me, Micha.” I knew he was still upset I’d let a human witness go the other night and his snide comment let me know he hadn’t forgotten. It was the perfect moment for him to remind me of the error of my ways. “Summon our custodians.”
He removed his phone from the inside pocket of his jacket and lifted it to his ear. Soon, we’d have a small gathering of Lesser demons here to clean up our mess and remove the corpse. Not waiting for the crew, we exited the alley.