Warning: as per the title, there is warm and fuzzy demon love ahead. Feel free to delve in without caution.
Note from author: I wrote this as a side piece stemming from a work-in-progress in my Ryker Chronicles series, which is why you never meet the 'vampire' Xov'uchtreth speaks of (if you want vampires, read my other stuff). This is about the creation of Descendants, which is a particular species in Amy Ryker's world.
Enjoy!
*
Xov'uchtreth stormed from the beach front, hating that he'd gotten involved with the earth-bound demon in the first place. If he wasn't on the prowl, he might have crushed the insipid leech for wasting his time. Instead, he let him go with a warning.
He brushed his hands on his fine slacks, but the stench of murder wouldn't be so easily banished. He'd actually
touched
the thing, and he shouldn't have. It wasn't his role to judge on this floating speck zooming through space. He was here to hunt.
But that stench lingered on his human body suit, and he had to rid himself of it.
The ocean strip was aglow with nighttime activity. Bars and restaurants were open and lively with patrons. Xov'uchtreth chose an unassuming white-and-red-striped diner and ducked as he entered, waiting for the hostess to see him, who startled pleasantly when she did.
"Excuse me," he said. "Do you mind if I use the restroom?"
The hostess' eyes slid over his formidable human suit, and he sensed that feminine warmth building inside her, that deep, sensuous lust he was always searching for. She dutifully picked up a menu and waved to the sparse booths, displaying a modest wedding ring that sparkled in the florescent lights. "Normally, we'd ask you to order something, but I think I can make an exception."
"I'm happy to order. I just really need to go, if you know what I mean." He offered a guilty smile, knowing he wouldn't touch the human even if the future of his species was at stake. Which it was. "I promise, I'll be right back."
She smiled in return, the edges of her mouth turning up. "'Round the corner."
He dipped his head in gratitude and slipped into the back, passing several lone patrons nursing coffee and eating the cheap diner food.
One in particular caught his eye.
He
saw
her, really saw her. She was staring out the window, chin in hand, with tired eyes. Sadness eeked off her in waves. And she was beautiful to Xov'uchtreth. She had a fleshy warmth about her that the hostess didn't, a heft that would survive his thorough passion.
Her crystalline gray gaze met his, and he nearly paused. Her eyes flared at the sight of him, and he knew what she saw. He'd created his bodysuit well, and for that, he often found these sorts of exchanges effortless, for the women were so willing.
She turned her head away, as if she weren't permitted to ogle.
Xov'uchtreth did not pause his step, cataloguing the beautiful sad woman in his mind as he paced to the bathroom to rid himself of the stench. On a hunt, it was imperative to be fresh and smell nice, for humans still had a speck of survival instincts, and they could always smell murder.
That damned vampire
, he thought to himself, scrubbing beneath his nails, sudsing vigorously. When he was finished, he checked his chiseled self in the mirror and smiled that winning smile of his.
Xov'uchtreth knew tonight would bring success.
Freshened and pleasant once more, he emerged from the restroom and ran clean hands down his buttoned shirt. Beautiful night. Beautiful people.
But when he searched for the particularly beautiful sad woman, she was gone. Her plate of food was uneaten, her coffee hardly touched next to the day's newspaper. And there was a bill on the table, large enough to cover the cost.
Disappointment seeped in, but he hailed the waitress.
She came as if compelled, looking like she might have applied a fresh layer of lipstick. "Pick wherever seat you'd like."
He slid into the booth across from the missing woman's seat. "I'll have a coffee, please," he said, accepting the menu.
"Coming right up." The hostess put a hand on his arm, the ring on her finger mysteriously absent. "Anything you need."
He offered a genteel nod. "Thank you, kindly."
And she was off, sashaying into the kitchen without a backwards glance.
Xov'uchtreth glanced over the booth to the vacant one. Nobody had come to take the money or food away, and he wondered if he'd get another glimpse at the gray-eyed beauty, or if she was gone for good. She'd have been a perfect hit.
The coffee came out, and he dutifully ignored the hostess' gentle hints and advances. She was pretty, sure, but married, and had children, if his sharp nose was any indicator.
No, she would not do.
He swirled a shot of cream into the coffee, half-heartedly panning the menu for something of equal value to a handwashing, and found nothing. He sighed and took a sip of the caramel liquid, finding that it only served to excite the fashioned body's nervous system.
Xov'uchtreth pushed the mug away. He didn't need the jitters tonight.
As he was about to set a five on the table, a bus boy came to take the plate of uneaten food from the vacated booth.
"Wait!" came a feminine shout. "I'm still here."
Xov'uchtreth faltered upon seeing her again as she stopped the bus boy, looking frazzled. Her gaze panned the near-empty diner, freezing when it landed on him. He cocked his head and offered a friendly smile.
She tore her focus away and took her seat, her cheeks reddening as she picked up the newspaper. She looked to be hiding, flipping the pages with a rustle as her food remained uneaten. The human only once grabbed her coffee cup and took a sip.
Xov'uchtreth smiled to himself this time, realizing he did not have to come up with another plan for the evening, if she was willing.
He left the five beneath his coffee mug and stood, stretching.
The gesture made her look again, then quickly to the sports section. Was she scared of him? He'd created this suit with the utmost care and consideration. No way the human could have noticed anything out of the ordinary upon first glance.
The hostess was poised to descend on him, so instead of heading towards the exit, he slid into the booth occupied by the beautiful woman, taking up much of the cushion.
The newspaper tilted down, and accusing red-rimmed eyes met his. "This booth is taken."
He did not shy away, leaning in and tilting the newspaper further, so he could see more of her. She'd been crying, likely the reason she'd left her booth in a hurry. "I know," he said in return. "Is it okay if I join you? I don't think a beautiful woman should be out at night all on her own."
Surprise lit up her face, then her shapely lip rose in disgust and she snatched the newspaper back, hiding behind it once more. "Don't make fun of me."
Xov'uchtreth was stunned. Did she not know how radiant she was? "I'm not making fun of you. I'm sorry if it came across that way. Really, I am."
She did not emerge from hiding, sneaking her hand out to claim her coffee cup, then zooming back behind the newspaper. "Just go away."
