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."
Xov'uchtreth blinked, shocked that he was being rejected by her. Stiffly, he stood from the booth, straightening his shirt to keep his hands busy. "As the lady commands," he said with the utmost respect. "My apologies for wasting your time."
He ran a hand through his hair and turned, shellshocked and a little disappointed. Maybe he needed to brush up on human etiquette again. Xov'uchtreth wasn't entirely sure what he'd done wrong to warrant such a response, but the woman was emotional. And emotional humans tended to do unexpected things.
He resigned himself to deflecting the hostess when that musical voice called out again. "Wait.
I'm
sorry. That was rude."
Xov'uchtreth pivoted with a spring in his step. The newspaper was down, and the beautiful woman was swiping a tear from her cheek.
She smiled a miserable smile, eyeing him with fading caution as he returned. "I'm not used to- I don't know, people caring. I'm kind of having a rough night."
"Tell me about it," he said, scooting back into the booth.
Her smile turned down. "You don't want to know. It's ridiculous."
He did not tear his gaze off her, taking in all of her bountiful curves. "Try me." Xov'uchtreth wanted to reach for her hand, but stayed himself. She didn't trust him, not yet.
The human's smile widened as she shook her head, her gaze unfocused. "It's been a
year
, I mean, who can't get over their ex in that time? It's not like we, you know-" She paused as her cheeks reddened again. "-
did
it, or anything." Her face reddened further, so that it crawled down her neck. Then she folded her arms and put her head down, burning with embarrassment. "Oh, god. Just let me die, now."
He laughed under his breath, then mimicked her folded arm posture to be at her level. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. My name's Trent."
She peeked up at him, her expression still miserable, dampened only by curiosity. "If you run now, you won't have to listen to me moan."
He rested his head on a shoulder and grinned again. "I don't think I'd mind hearing you moan."
The human's eyes flared again, and he realized she must often be surprised and caught off-guard. Or maybe it was just him. "No, I know what this is." She sat up, her former familiarity gone as she snatched her newspaper. "This is one of those recruitments, right? A pig party? I'm not an idiot and I refuse to be made a mockery of. Good day, sir."
She marched out of the diner with her head bowed and the newspaper tucked under one arm.
Xov'uchtreth tore from the booth and pursued. He'd never had to work so hard before. He zoomed past the hostess who was offering him a fading smile and a good evening, trying not to lose sight of the woman. If he couldn't even get her name, what sort of demon was he?
She'd veered off the sidewalk and was storming down an alley with her head still down. And when he got within earshot, he heard the sobs.
His three oversized hearts ached for her.
She was leaned up against a brick building, muffling the weeping with a fist.
Xov'uchtreth approached carefully, trying his best not to startle her. "I don't know what this 'pig party' thing is, but I had no intentions other than to see you smile. I seem to have a lot to apologize for this evening."
