Demon's Grace

I was being caressed by darkness, everywhere. Heavy gentle pressure absorbed and cradled my feet when I tried to move. I looked above and a steady red glow seeped into blackness. On my inhale I smelled cloves, strikingly familiar, but no answers. Whispers droned separate from the heavy silence stuffed in my ears, as if inside my mind. They grew louder, insistent, then something grabbed me from behind and wrenched me backwards in a downward fall. Shocked, I gasped and then... a flash of scorching fire!

Underneath me I felt a sagging mattress and above, warmth. It radiated along the length of my numb and freezing body. I tried to stretch upwards, wanting to luxuriate in the feel of it, but unable to. An uncomfortable rushing sensation of heat tumbled and sped through my body, displacing bone chilling cold. I could hear my own whimpers of pain as it burned through my veins. That's when my mind started to insist something was wrong. My forehead furrowed in confusion and I snapped my eyes open. An undignified squeak of terror flew out of my mouth before I comprehended what was above me.

A dark red demon stared intently into my face. My breathing quickened when I remembered I was dead, or rather, should be. That breath hitched when I realized I was being taken advantaged of. One hand lazily caressed my breast while the other found its way intimately down my body. I gasped as my body eagerly responded and a warm, liquid flow built inside me.

I tightly closed my eyes and shouted inside my mind, confused and aroused at the same time, 'I'm dead!'

A deep, amused chuckle sounded above me.

I gave a sharp inhale, "Oh!"

My traitorous body arched up into the one above me even as I tried to realign my thoughts. "Shit! Wait!" I placed my palms on the demon's shoulders and shoved. He was like stone! "Wait! Dammit! I should be dead!"

His answer was a smirk and a vibration that I felt emanating from deep in his chest. His caress stopped and changed into a smooth movement up my stomach. He continued to stare directly into my eyes as he licked his fingers. I blinked at his erotica and changed my focus to his luminous wings sailing out behind. Their overlapping scales glowed like fire, like his whole body. This was the comfortable warmth enveloping me.

I just knew the rumble I felt in his chest was laughter at my expense. I focused back on his prominent face and breathed heavily out of my nose, my lips frowning. He angled his head down and looked at me through the tops of his eyes. I hated being ignorant so I grunted crudely, knowing he disapproved of my swearing, "You don't fuck a corpse!" I coughed on his harsh exhale of smoke and cloves and looked at him defiantly. His eyes reminded me of obsidian walls dancing with reflected fire. The beauty distracted me.

"I do many things," he said in a deep, solemn voice.

I refocused. "When I say 'you' I don't mean you in particular. I mean..." I paused thinking of a phrase, "social graces." I continued to glare at him trying to ignore his presumptuous look. I angrily crossed my arms over my bare breasts.

"Your social graces are not my social graces." He purposely puffed out more smoke on my face, "Our social graces are only to be used in life and death situations."

I just had to yell at him, "Hello! This is a life and death situation!"

A warm hand cupped the side of my face, causing me to reluctantly unclench my tight jaw. I turned my face to avoid his gaze. "Stop it."

"I brought you back. I will know when you are dead." He continued, his voice going soft, "You still do not understand. I can speak to your soul."

These last words hummed inside my body causing my heart to thump harshly. I closed my eyes briefly to the heat of his hands framing my face, his knees a barrier restraining me.

"And, I can talk to your body," he smirked. "It told me,'Yes, do that. Right there.'" He winked at me.

"It did no such-" I never got to finish because I was being thoroughly kissed. I couldn't stop the moan of pleasure as he bit my lower lip. His fire flamed through me and I willingly followed his lead. I arched my body into his again, but looked at him through narrowed eyes. His look was all satisfaction and arrogance, sure of my compliance. I sighed and decided to deal with that later as his lips trailed blazing heat down my sweaty body. Sex as an affirmation of life? Absolutely.

With my body finally calm and relaxed, I sat up on the lumpy bed and looked out through the partially covered motel window. On the night stand nearby I saw two of my throwing knives.

"Who brought me here?" I asked, looking at the demon sitting up on my left.

He idly played with another knife, balancing the point on one of his fingers. "Carlos."

I moved my attention from the knife to his face. His body was no longer flickering, but still dark red. His wings had melded into his body and all that hinted of them was a continuous, tribal-like, black tattoo. It draped over his shoulders and curved around his torso, continuing down the backs of his legs. I reached over and traced one of the elaborate swirls on his ribs, preoccupied with the intricacy of it. I could feel the weight of his stare as he regarded my bowed head.

"Taurin?"

I scowled. "I don't know."

Then I sighed, "Carlos was looking for him. Taurin appeared. We were surprised." I paused in thought reliving the moment, then shook my head. "Carlos' kill since you weren't there." I stared at him angrily and raised my voice, "Where the hell were you?!"

He looked back at the knife and ignored my question, "Carlos never finished. All he could do was work with a protection spell to get you both out."

"Well there's nothing quite like a pissed off demon tracking you." I smiled grimly. "I suppose he's biding his time, waiting." I hesitated briefly, "But he should think I'm dead. I did."

The silence seemed thick on the other side of the bed. I stared hard at the demon next to me. Who says there are no words in silence, certainly not me.

"Doesn't he," I asked forcefully.

"You are so stubborn," he said softly. "I told you it was not wise to go after Taurin." He grasped the hilt of the knife. "You knew I would not show up."

I thought briefly of holding my tongue, but why? "Bullshit! You never explained yourself to me and you never said, 'Dove, by the way, I won't be there.'" I watched him deliberately place the knife on the side of the bed and lean in close to my face, eyes blazing with intent.

"I did not show up. You and Carlos were both advised of the warrant. Warrant says two bonded demon hunters. Hence, you, Carlos, Bronti and myself. There should have been four there for the attack. Ignorant as the Affairs' Office is, they are getting smarter. You should have not continued with this warrant."

I pondered his words and stared into space, refusing to admit he made sense. "Do you think that asshole Bronti betrayed us because he owes something to Taurin?"

The demon took my change in direction without pause, but never answered my question directly. "A protection spell does not appear from nowhere, as Carlos is aware. You getting wounded because of your rash action was unnecessary. Stop swearing."

I decided to ignore that last remark and smirked, "I was fucking killed."

He picked up the throwing knife again and caressed the sharp edge of it. "You were not killed," he said calmly, which only annoyed me more.

I let out a growling frustrated sound. "And it was not 'unnecessary'," I said, mimicking his voice. "I was there for a reason." I held up a hand to forestall his interruption, "And, yes, aware of your expressed, if unexplained, concern." I couldn't help that my voice was getting sarcastic.

"You do as your heart and mind tell you to. I have no argument with that. Your usual tactics will not work with Taurin. I advised you of this."

"Maybe if you had used a few more words I would have been better prepared."

"You did not ask."

"Ahhh!" I snarled and clenched my teeth. "Why weren't you there?"

"We have an agreement."

Stupid, cryptic demon remark. "Long standing agreement?"

He nodded slightly. "Yes. Taurin likes to bargain."

"And Bronti is caught up in this too?" He just looked at me so I went on to my next question. "And he knows I'm not dead how?"

I looked down and noticed my arms crossed defensively again. He placed the knife down and reached out to place one finger under my chin. He gently brought our faces closer and I felt myself get lost in the swirling flames and darkness that were alive in his eyes.

In a soft voice he spoke, "When we kill, we kill. When we plan to take, we do not kill until we are ready to kill."

I frowned. That was too weird for me to comprehend. I relaxed as his hand gently twined into my long hair.

"Taurin planned to take your power, but Carlos interfered and brought you to me. Since I was closer to you I took it first and breathed it back into you. He will be aware that you are alive."

I made a conscious attempt to pull away from his eyes as they changed and swirled with stars in them. I always felt like I was looking at a picture of a galaxy. This picture was forever moving though. He kept a firm hold on my hair.

"Each hunter has a particular," I watched him grimace as he struggled for a word I could understand, "vibration." He cocked his head to the side and the shadows darkened and fell into the valleys of his face. The sharpness of the delineation of dark and light made him look predator, stillness before a strike. I remained silent even as my pulse sped up. I knew he could sense it.

"When we," he made a growling noise in the back of his throat, struggling with words again, "feel you... it will never go away until the hunter dies. We do this with the intent to bind or steal your power. Physical proximity makes it faster and easier. When you are dead your vibration will vanish, but the power remains," he paused and looked at me intently, "with whoever breathes it in. Taurin was closer to you so had he killed you he would have." He gently pulled his finger through my hair and caressed the ends of it.

When he released me from his eyes I turned my face away from him. He laid the gentlest of kisses on the side of my neck as his human looking hand slid down to curve around the top of my breast. I understood his words. He could have finished killing me since he knew I wasn't dead because of my own vibration he felt inside himself. What I didn't realize was that he could

have stolen whatever it was that made me a demon hunter. Although I guess it made sense

since demon hunters can take the power of a demon they kill too.

"So he will have the feel of me until I die."

"As will I," he whispered into my skin.

"But he is not bound to me?" I asked hesitantly.

"No. You know your ritual to that. It is the sharing of blood and power."

I decided to change the topic. "I don't understand. Of all the hunters to turn to what luck to give the orders to Carlos and I who are bound to demons who keep century long promises, if that's the case with Bronti."

He pressed deeper into my neck and then slowly sat up. "The Affairs' Office would have counted it good luck," he said blandly.

"The Affairs' Office is trying to kill us?!"

He shrugged.

I was astonished, "You knew this and didn't tell me?!" At least I knew he didn't want to kill me since he had the chance tonight.

"You have done stranger things without all the information. I also did not know what Carlos and Bronti would do."

I replied haughtily, "Yet you knew that you should've been there." I waved my hands at him in frustration. "I would have liked to have known if you believed the Affairs' Office was trying to kill us!"

The demon shrugged slightly. "It was irrelevant and all it would do was restrict your movements. Hunting us is not science. You know this. All I needed to know was whether or not you died."

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. "Excuse me." The sarcasm rolled out of my mouth as I calmly got up and walked around the bed to the bathroom, "I'm going to spend an hour in the bathroom, part of which will be a scalding, hot shower. As you know, I've been 'mostly dead' all day."

He smiled innocently, "Not all day, just a few hours."

I slammed the door on his laughter. Being angry with a demon is not productive, they either laugh at you or kill you. As far as I was concerned, being dead once was good enough for me, so laugh away, Ezra, laugh away.