 
### Host Chronicles:

### Volume 1

### Devil's Offspring

### By D.L Cox

### Published by: Prestige Communication Group, LLC

### Copyright © 2012 D.L Cox

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, Licenses Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter One

Debts are meant to be paid. That's what 48-year-old Bob Taylor thought as he stood on the porch of his Brooklyn brownstone in the freezing cold. It was approaching midnight, and his guest would be arriving any moment. Bob's wife Sarah reluctantly crept out onto the porch and instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed herself to keep warm.

"She's not here yet?" Sarah asked.

Bob checked his watch. "Any minute."

Sarah frowned and shook her head. "I don't understand why she's coming this time of..."

"She's coming and that's that," Bob said sternly.

Bob's tone caught Sarah by surprise, just like the impromptu visit from the mysterious guest. Sarah loved Bob dearly, and their twenty years of marriage had taught her that he cherished loyalty like the air he breathed. Still, she couldn't understand how a simple phone call in the middle of the night, from some associate Bob hadn't seen since he was a teenager, could cause him to become so distant so quickly. Her Bob was a kind and loving man who would die trying to make her happy. She'd never seen this cold and curt side of him before.

She took a deep breath. "How long is she staying?" she asked curtly.

Bob looked into her eyes and coldly stated, "As long as she likes."

Sarah exhaled, "well, I don't like the idea of a strange girl staying in our home. I know you say her father is an old friend but this is—"

"No but," Bob snapped. "Without him, I would be nothing. Without him you wouldn't get to sit on your ass all day and shop like money grows on trees."

Sarah was taken aback. She couldn't believe her ears. "I didn't mean—"

"If you have a problem with her staying here, you can leave," he flatly suggested.

Sarah searched his face and found something troubling— he was dead serious. She stumbled over her words as she said, "I'm sorry. I'll get the guest room ready."

Bob nodded. "Good. You do that."

Without another word, Sarah went back into the house. A smoke gray Maybach pulled up less than a minute later. Bob quickly approached the car and stood at the curb while a tall, muscular man with an ugly scar above his right eye got out the driver's seat. Bob's heart pounded with anticipation as the driver walked around the car and opened the back passenger door. Bob instinctively lowered his head like a servant as an exotic–looking young lady stepped out the car wearing an elegant evening gown and six-inch heeled shoes. She carried herself with the air of royalty, and rightfully so. The mere sight of her was enough to make any man speechless. She looked about twenty-years-old with even silky skin, cat-like gray eyes, model-like high but full cheekbones, long black hair tied in a bun, and a perfectly proportioned five-foot five-inch coke-bottle shaped figure. There was something about her beauty that transcended human senses. Bob had yet to lay eyes on her, but experienced her beauty as if he had gazed upon her for an eternity. He kept his head lowered as he said, "It is a pleasure to have you..."

"Saleena," she said, toying with a tear-drop shaped crystal that hung from a gold chain around her neck.

There was something seductively musical about her voice, which caused the hair on the back of Bob's neck to stand.

She turned to her driver and told him, "I'll be fine from here, Eshu."

Eshu shook his head and frowned. "Your father said I'm supposed to stay with you." Saleena giggled. "Well, my father's not here, is he?"

"But—" Eshu started.

"Go home," she ordered, toying with the crystal. "I'll call you when or if I need you."

Eshu nodded, hopped in the car, and pulled off, leaving Bob standing in front of Saleenawith his head down.

Saleena smiled at Bob. "Relax. I won't bite. Look at me."

Bob slowly raised his head and his eyes confirmed what his heart and soul already knew—she was the essence of beauty. "How long will you be staying?" he asked.

"With you?" Saleena chuckled. "Only for the night."

Bob sensed something sinister in her tone, but simply nodded and led her into the brownstone.

Sarah sat waiting in the living room and stood as they walked in.

Bob motioned to Sarah and told Saleena, "This is my wife, Sarah."

"Hello," Saleena greeted Sarah with a smirk.

Sarah smiled, captivated by Saleena's beauty. "Hello..."

"Saleena," Saleena nodded.

"Saleena," Sarah mouthed, bewildered by Saleena.

There was a moment of awkward silence until Bob said, "Well, we should show Saleena to her room."

Sarah noticed Saleena didn't have any luggage and asked," Where are your things?"

Saleena blushed, embarrassed. "It's my first visit here. I didn't know what to bring. I'm sure I'll have everything I need by this time tomorrow."

"Okay," Bob cut in. "Let's show Saleena to her room."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded at Saleena. "You must be tired from your trip. How far have you traveled? I mean, where are you from?"

Bob frowned. "Sarah?"

Saleena smirked. "Someplace far away from here, but we can talk about that later. Right now, I just want to go to bed."

"Of course," Bob said, hoping Sarah's questions didn't make Saleena feel uncomfortable. Bob and Sarah led Saleena upstairs to her room, made sure she was settled in, and then headed to their bedroom. Sarah was tempted to press Bob about his relationship to Saleena's father, but decided against it. She and Bob went to bed without sharing a word about Saleena, but the girl was on both of their minds.

Bob planned to have Sarah take Saleena shopping the next day. He understood that Saleena was alone in a strange environment far away from her home. He had promised her father he would make her as comfortable as possible and keep her out of trouble. He was sure he wouldn't have a problem making her feel comfortable; he was worried about keeping her out of trouble. He didn't know where to begin. He certainly couldn't stop her from doing anything she wanted to do. She was her father's daughter, and theirs was a gene pool that wielded power, control, and serious influence. How could he keep his promise to her father and stay on her good side until she returned home? Her father had expected her to stay with Bob for the duration of her visit, and here she was telling him she would only be staying the night. She had just arrived, and had already put him in an uncomfortable position. All this lay on his mind as he went bed.

***

Across town in a Manhattan penthouse apartment, twenty-one-year-old Nathaniel Brenner was jolted from his sleep. His body glistened with sweat, which beaded down his broad shoulders and rolled down his muscular chest and ripped six-pack abs as he sat up in bed. He eyed the clock on the night stand and sighed in frustration. It was 2am, and he'd been abruptly awakened from his sleep in the middle of the night for the third night in a row. He knew it wasn't a coincidence. It either had something to do with his past, or was some kind of signal concerning his future. He exhaled and silently acknowledged that there really was no either/or—everything about his life was grounded in his past, and the very nature of his past was a complicated code that mapped out and determined his future. He lay back down and chuckled at the thought that he was one of very few men his age fortunate enough to live under the certainty of a looming destiny. Yes, it was a sense of destiny that fueled his infatuation with the past, inspired him to overlook the beauty and utility of the present, and drove him to obsess over the not-yet but sure-to-come promise of the future. He grabbed a tear-drop shaped crystal from under his pillow and drifted off into the memory of the fateful night that had anointed his life with the most precious of evaluations: purpose.

Fifteen years earlier, Nat had appeared to be like many other six-year-old boys being raised in the Bronx by an underemployed single mother. But all that changed one night when an unanticipated explosion of thunder and lightning shattered the midnight silence and snatched a young Nat from his sleep. The worn box spring had creaked as the boy sat up on the bed. He glanced at his closed bedroom door and then noticed that rain was pouring in through the open window. He tip-toed across the cold tile floor and shut the window before pressing his nose against the glass and admiring the thick sheets of rain that covered the Bronx landscape. His sixth-floor window gave him a great view of what many called the ghetto. His mind drifted off to the sound of the July shower beating against the window. It was as if the rain spoke to him. A streak of lightening snapped him back to reality. He realized he was still tired and crept back to bed. Young Nat had barely closed his eyes when he heard two loud cracks followed by a loud thud. Without thinking, he jumped out of bed and bolted out the bedroom.

"Ma!" he screamed as he ran through the living room and into the kitchen. He ran so fast that he nearly tripped over something. He knew what it was without looking down. His heart skipped a beat and a wave of sadness swept over him. He took a deep breath to gather his courage and then cut his eyes down at his mother's lifeless body. He tilted his head to the side like a puppy and knelt to lift up her head.

"Come on Ma, wake up," he whispered softly.

Nat removed a lock of hair from her face and kissed her on the cheek. He wasn't bothered by the gaping slash that ran across her neck, or the pool of blood that lay beneath her. He only focused on her eyes. Her eyes were the window to all that she was, and they conveyed to him the same thing in death they had conveyed to him in life: everything would be all right.

"I know," he responded, removing the tear-shaped crystal from a gold chain around her neck.

Had a neighbor not heard the commotion and called the cops. Nat would've spent the rest of his life sitting on the floor next to his mother's corpse. Instead, he was ushered to a police car while his mother's body was outlined with chalk. The cops attempted to question him, but he wouldn't respond. He silently sat in the back seat of a cop car. He occasionally scanned the crowd of officers and crime scene investigators in front of his building, but he mostly stared off into space. Nat was in another world when a tall, petite woman with long thick dreadlocks approached the car and tapped on the window.

"Nathaniel?" the woman asked.

Nat looked into her dark brown eyes and concluded she could be trusted, and that she was there to help him. He had a way of reading people's intentions like that. "Yes," he answered.

The woman opened the car door and stuck her head inside. "My name is Melissa Courtly. I need you to come with me, okay?"

"Where are you going to take me?" he asked, showing no signs of sadness.

Melissa bit her bottom lip and glanced at her watch. "I work for Child Welfare. I'm going to make sure you get somewhere safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Nat said, looking into her eyes.

"Good, my car is this way." She led Nat to her car and then stopped. She looked around to make sure she was out of earshot of any passersby and knelt in front of him. "Do you understand what happened tonight?"

Nat rubbed her cheek and kissed her forehead. "My mommy died. But she told me I always made her feel safe, and that she would have to go away one day. And she told me that I shouldn't cry or be sad because her death would make me stronger," he stated, summarizing the speech his mother had given him a million times. Then he pulled the crystal from his pocket and held it in front of Melissa's face. "And she told me that someone would be sent to take me somewhere safe."

Melissa smiled as a flicker of light glowed inside the crystal. "You're special," she told him.

"I know," he said and hugged her. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"We have to get going," she whispered.

***

A half hour later Melissa pulled Nat into her one bedroom Manhattan apartment and led him through a maze of cardboard boxes until they were in the bedroom. She motioned to a chair on the wall to the left and said, "Sit there."

Nat squeezed his way around the queen size bed and hopped onto the chair. "Why you got all these boxes?" he asked, pointing at the boxes.

"If you must know, I just moved in," she replied while grabbing the phone.

He watched closely as she dialed a number.

"It's me," she said when the other line picked up. "I have him."

"What does he know?" a woman's voice asked Melissa.

Melissa cut her eyes at Nat before answering. "A lot, but nothing at all."

"Set it up," the woman said.

"I'm on it," Melissa replied and then hung up.

Melissa sat beside Nat and studied him for a moment. Then she told him, "I'm going to send you to some people who are going to take real good care of you."

Nat nodded, "Okay."

Melissa explained, "But first I have to leave you some place. I need you to trust me and do as I say. Everything will work out fine."

Nat smiled. "I know. You're going to take me somewhere safe."

***

Six-year-old Nat had spent every hour of the next two days in a group home waiting to be picked up. As the other boys passed the July afternoon playing ping-pong and watching TV in the dayroom, Nat sat off in a corner by himself.

"Melissa's going to get me somewhere safe," he said to himself.

"Nathaniel Brenner!" he heard a man yell.

Nat turned and saw that it was a counselor standing in the doorway with an older lady. The woman's wrinkle-free face, perfectly arched eyebrows, and bright white smile undermined the age signified by a long shiny gray ponytail that glided around her neck and cascaded over her right shoulder. Nat quickly scanned her dark-green high-heels and the two-piece dark-green skirt set that covered her tall, curvy frame; and then rested his eyes on her face.

"Aunt Angela!" he shouted and skipped to embrace her, remembering the routine Melissa had taught him.

"Hey baby!" Angela James squealed and planted wet kisses all over his face. Then she held him back and looked him up and down. "Are you all right?"

Nat cut his eyes at the counselor and then answered, "Yes, ma'am."

Angela turned to the counselor. "I've spent all morning signing papers with a case worker named Melissa Courtly. What do I have to do to get my nephew out of this place?"

The counselor watched Nat wrap his arms around Angela's waist, and said, "Ms. Courtly already faxed everything over; you're free to take him now."

Angela leaned and kissed Nat on the forehead. "Did you hear that Nathaniel? The man had to give me permission to take you home, as if they were keeping you here." She locked onto Nat's eyes. "But always know that nobody can keep you anywhere, and you always have the power to free yourself, understand?"

Nat nodded, and Angela took him by the hand and led him out the building. Bright rays of mid-day sunlight assaulted Nat's eyes when he stepped outside. He squinted at Angela as she slowly slipped on a pair of designer sunglasses, and told her, "Thank you."

Angela bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "No, thank you. Come on, the car's right there." She pointed to a black Lincoln MKS with a tall, sharply dressed man leaning against it.

"I see everything worked out," the man said, opening the back car door as Nat and Angela approached.

Angela smiled, "Smoother than a baby's bottom." She motioned to Nat. "Nathaniel, this is Todd. Todd, this is Nathaniel."

Joy and admiration filled Todd's eyes as he shook Nat's hand. "It is a pleasure and an honor. The world will owe you a dept it can never repay."

Nat sensed a wave of sincerity flowing from Todd. "I trust you," he told Todd before climbing in the car.

They pulled off and Nat asked Angela "Where are we going?"

"Maryland, home," she told him.

Nat spent the four-hour trip from New York to Maryland in silence.

"We're here," Todd announced as the Lincoln pulled up to a gated estate in Prince George's County.

"Welcome to the James Estate," Angela said and rolled down the windows.

Nat turned from left to right as the car passed through the gate. On both sides of the cobble-stone driveway, there was perfectly manicured lawn stretching for as far as his young eyes could see.

Angela crossed her legs and placed her hand on Nat's shoulder. "This is home," she said after they made the two-mile drive from the gate to the huge mansion. It was a replica of the White House. They got out the car and Nat followed Todd and Angela onto the front porch and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked.

"There's something special about this house," Nat said.

Todd said, "You are what makes this house special. You will be raised and trained here."

"Trained?" Nat asked with a raised brow.

"A great task awaits you, and we shall prepare you for it," Todd explained.

Angela added, "We will help you build the strength your mother promised you would gain when she died."

Nat fingered the crystal in his pocket and said, "Okay."

Fifteen years later, he clutched that same crystal as he fell back asleep in his Manhattan apartment.

Chapter Two

Bob had tossed and turned at the thought of a confrontation with Saleena about her remaining at his house. It took him a few hours to get to sleep, but he had his mind set on what he had to do. He would risk her being upset with him instead of earning her father's displeasure. He woke up the next morning and discovered that Saleena had plans of her own, and he was in no position to stop her. In fact, it turned out that Bob was at the heart of plans.

Bob and Sarah woke up next to each other on their bedroom floor—both bound and gagged. They looked into each other's eyes and tried to wiggle free to no avail. Fear and panic filled their eyes when they realized they couldn't get loose.

Saleena strolled into the room carrying a butcher knife. "It's about time you two got up," she said playfully.

Bob eyed the knife and tried to talk, but the gag muffled his words. Saleena stood over him and told him, "I'll ask the questions, you answer, okay?"

Bob nodded frantically, and she removed his gag. "What do you want to know," he panted.

Saleena squatted over him and looked into his eyes. "Was selling your soul to my father worth it?"

Bob hesitated before answering. "I don't know—"

"Was it worth it?" she snapped.

Bob cut his eyes at Sarah. "Yes. I love my life."

Saleena chuckled. "Love? You love the things in your life."

Bob shook his head. "No. I love my wife."

She eyed Sarah, who whimpered with tears in her eyes, and then turned back to Bob and asked, "She's worth your soul?"

Bob swallowed hard and declared, "I would sacrifice ten eternities just to experience a moment of love I've shared with that woman."

Saleena smiled and stared off into space for a moment. "I understand." Her face turned stone-cold. "You hold something for my father. Where is it?"

Fear and confusion filled Bob's eyes. "I can't—"

She stabbed him in the arm and he yelped in pain. "Look at me," she told him. "If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'm going to cut Sarah into pieces and then I'm going to cut you into pieces."

Bob winced. "But your father—"

Saleena stood moving towards Sarah.

"Wait," Bob shouted.

Saleena walked back over to him. "Where?"

He took a deep breath. "There's a safe built into the floor under the bed. The code is 060875."

Saleena hurried over to the bed, moved it, removed a small rug that concealed the safe, and then kneeled at the safe and entered the password on the safe's keypad. Inside the safe Saleena found a 10-inch by 6-inch wooden box. She grabbed the box and opened it, revealing a golden knife with a jewel encrusted handle and a razor-sharp 6-inch blade. She carefully removed the knife from the box and admired it. She couldn't believe she finally had it in her grasp. It was the key to transforming the very nature of her existence. She would no longer endure the loneliness fostered by a brother who struck out on his own and left her to fend for herself under the clutches of a controlling father—a father who not only forbade her to see the one who became her alleged true love, but also bequeathed her a genetic legacy that nearly ensured she would never know love at all. She carried the knife over to Bob, confident she would pay her brother back for abandoning her, and spite her father by living the life she wanted to live with the one he had forbidden her to be with.

Saleena kissed the blade and held it in front of Bob's eyes. "They say this knife is as old as mankind. Do you know what it's used for?" she asked.

"No," Bob admitted. "I just hold it."

"Of course my father wouldn't tell you," she said. "Let me show you."

Saleena stuffed the gag back into Bob's mouth and then squatted over Sarah. Sarah's eyes grew wide as Saleena raised the knife high above her head and then plunged it into Sarah's heart. Sarah choked and gagged for a few seconds and then fell dead. Bob grunted and groaned through his gag as Saleena pulled the knife from Sarah and stood.

"Show yourself," Saleena whispered, looking around the room.

Thick black smoke filled the room and swarmed around Saleena like a tornado. Saleena fingered the crystal on her neck with one hand and held the knife to her bosom with the other.

"Yes," Saleena whispered with excitement and lust bouncing in her eyes. "It's me."

The smoke filled the entire room until it was pitch black, and then quickly disappeared. Behind Saleena, in the doorway, stood a handsome young man dressed in all black. He stood about six-foot-one with an athletic build, and looked no older than twenty-five, but could pass for twenty-one.

The young man chuckled and said, "I can't believe you did it."

Saleena turned and her face lit up with joy at the sight of him. "Izzy, it worked."

Saleena dropped the knife and ran into Izzy's arms. He caressed her face and kissed her passionately on the lips. Saleena moaned in pleasure and then backed away and touched her lips as if she had been kissed for the first time.

"Did you feel that?" she asked, flustered.

Izzy shook his head. "No."

Saleena traced the outline of her lips with her finger. "It's amazing." She turned to Bob and told him, "I understand why you would sacrifice so much for this experience." She picked up the knife and handed it to Izzy. "Do it," she told him.

Izzy took the knife and eyed Bob "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked Saleena.

"Yes," Saleena nodded. "This is what we both wanted."

Izzy studied the knife. "It will upset the balance of things. Your father will send everything he has after us, not to mention my brothers will seek to pull me back."

Saleena kissed him. "Damn the devil. I can handle anything he throws at me. As for your brothers, the reapers can't attack you without showing themselves, and a bullet to the head will send them back into the smoke for at least seven days before they can show themselves again. Besides, if they pull you back into the smoke, I'll just summon you out again."

Izzy smiled. "You have this all figured out, huh?"

Saleena kissed him again. "We got this all figured out, remember? You did handle your end of the plan, didn't you?"

Izzy nodded. "Yeah, we're set up for everything we need to live as humans, including tools to battle your brother and his minions, but life as man knows it could be turned upside down."

Saleena backed away. "It's the only way we can be together, and our love is worth sacrificing all of mankind."

Izzy took a deep breath, headed over to Bob, and turned to Saleena. "Your father will know what you've done as soon as this one gets to hell."

"Do it," Saleena whispered.

Izzy plunged the knife into Bob's heart, killing him instantly. Saleena then took the crystal off her neck, dropped it to the floor and smashed it with her foot. A blue smoke oozed from the smashed crystal and filled the room. Izzy coughed, chocked, and fell to the floor unconscious. Saleena knelt beside him as the smoke cleared.

"Izzy," Saleena said, shaking him.

Izzy didn't respond. They had come so close to making their dreams a reality and Saleena couldn't bear the thought of losing him now. She smacked him across the face. "Izzy," she yelled with panic.

Izzy still didn't respond, and she shook him violently. This time he coughed and slowly sat up.

"I told you the devil's breath was unbearable to non-demons," she sighed in relief.

Izzy struggled to breathe. "I don't know how you could stand it."

"It's in the genes," she joked and playfully tapped him on the shoulder.

"Kiss me," Izzy told her.

Saleena threw her arms around his neck and launched her tongue into his mouth. He moaned and quickly pulled away as he touched his lips.

"Wow," he muttered. "This is what it feels like to be human."

Saleena smiled. "It feels good, doesn't it?"

Izzy leaned in to kiss her again, but she stopped him and said, "We'll have plenty of time for that, but we really need to get out of here now."

Izzy stood and pulled Saleena to her feet. "You're right. There's somebody we have to go see."

***

Twenty-four year-old Lamont Green lived every day of his life like it was his last. He never knew when death would come knocking, but he stayed ready and prepared for the visit. He knew he was living on borrowed time. He had survived a bullet to the back of the head when he was barely thirteen—a bullet from the same gun that had killed his real-estate agent father and Wall Street executive mother. It had been a botched home invasion. The robbers were looking for something they never found, and they expressed their frustration by executing the successful couple and their son with a bullet to the back of each of their heads. Doctors said it was a miracle that Lamont didn't die instantly. There wasn't a day that went by where Lamont didn't think about that bullet. Even now he lay on his back in his bed in his deluxe apartment in the sky thinking about how grateful he was to be alive while a beautiful, thick, naked woman.

Lamont didn't even remember her name. He had met her at a club the night before, brought her home, and now it was nearing noon and they were winding down their fifth go around in the sack. They had been at it all night.

She giggled, "That was good."

Lamont chuckled. "It was alright."

"Yeah," she exhaled. "I had you open just now."

Lamont frowned. "I've had worse, I've had better. I said it was alright."

He slid her off of him and climbed off the bed. He headed into the living room where her dress, handbag, and shoes lay on the floor, grabbed the dress, took it back into the bedroom, and tossed it to her.

"You're kicking me out," she sighed.

Lamont shrugged. "You didn't think you would stay here forever, did you?"

She stood, revealing her goddess-like figure, and slipped into the dress. "Will you call me," she asked.

"Probably not," he admitted. "If I called you we would hook up again, and then this first time would no longer be special."

She looked confused. "What?"

He shook his head at her. "If we did the same thing tomorrow it would make it feel too much like yesterday. I need every day of my life to feel like an adventure, a new adventure. I met you, we shared a night together, it was a great adventure. Now it's time to move on. Cherish the memory."

She stood there looking dumbfounded. "You're serious?"

He nodded, "As a bullet to the back of the head."

She stormed into the living room and put on her shoes as Lamont came into the room behind her.

"The doorman will get you a cab and pay for it," he said, handing her the handbag.

"Whatever," she hissed and walked out the apartment.

Lamont shut and locked the door behind her and then plopped down on the couch. He sat there wondering how much time he had left and contemplated how death would come to collect on the tab left unpaid eleven years earlier. He remembered lying in the hospital with that fresh gunshot wound. He should have been in a coma, but he wasn't. He lay on that hospital bed listening to a stranger's voice in his head. It was a man. Lamont couldn't see him, but he had heard him loud and clear. The voice had told him that he could have life in exchange for his loyalty, and he agreed. Lamont didn't know any better. He was only a 13-year-old boy. He had watched his parents murdered. He didn't want to die. He was afraid. For the first few years after Lamont got out of the hospital, he thought he had dreamed the voice. He had never forgotten his brush with death, but years had passed without so much as a peep from the voice.

Lamont was sent off to boarding school until he turned eighteen. That's when he inherited his parent's estate, which included three million dollars of insurance policies and several apartment buildings in Manhattan. Lamont was set for the rest of his life. He moved into the penthouse of one of his apartment buildings and planned to live his life like his only purpose was to enjoy himself. That's when he heard the voice again. It directed him to a Bronx apartment building where he found a man sitting on the living room sofa dead with his throat cut. Lamont had frozen at the sight of the dead guy, but the voice assured him that everything would be fine and then directed Lamont to a big hidden compartment in the bedroom closet where there was a footlocker full of automatic guns and ammo. The voice instructed him to take the footlocker and put it in a safe place and he did as he was told.

That wasn't the last time the voice sent Lamont on a mission. The voice reached out to Lamont several times over the years, always sending him to a dead person's house to get weapons of some sort. He had collected guns, knives, sticks, rods, swords, bow and arrows, and a few hundred thousand dollars in cash—all for the voice. There was also a four-day long stakeout at a fancy house in Upstate New York, where Lamont followed a fat guy back and forth to a waterfront warehouse. The voice had him learn all he could about the warehouse and then told him to purchase a pair of women's jeans, a shirt, a pair of women's shoes, and a leather coat, all of which he was instructed to place in a large duffle bag and keep under his bed along with another duffle bag full of the money he had gathered.

Now Lamont sat on the sofa wondering when the voice would reach out to him again. It had been over a year. Lamont was certain the voice had something to do with the tab he owed death, and as long as the voice was instructing him he knew it wasn't time for the tab to be paid. The voice's silence made Lamont anxious. Was their deal off? Did the voice still need him? That's what Lamont was thinking when there was a knock at the door.

Lamont walked over to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me," Izzy said from the other side of the door.

Lamont recognized the voice and his heart pounded against his chest like a sledge hammer. "Who?"

"Me," Izzy replied.

Lamont took a deep breath and opened the door. Izzy stood outside the door with Saleena at his side.

Lamont looked at Izzy and stammered, "You, I, um..."

Izzy smiled. "Can we come in?

Lamont stepped aside. "Of course."

Izzy and Saleena walked in holding hands as if they would fly away from each other forever if they weren't connected. The reality of their being together on earth in human form had not yet set in. They instinctively enjoyed the little things: a simple touch, a stealing glance, an intimate caress on the cheek.

Lamont closed the door behind them and stared at Izzy. "Who are you?" Lamont asked.

Izzy and Saleena sat on the couch like they were glued at the hip, and then Izzy announced, "I was a reaper."

Lamont should've been nervous, but he wasn't. A sense of calm swept over him. "You mean the grim reaper?"

Izzy nodded. "One of the grim reapers."

Confusion covered Lamont's face. "There's more than one?"

"Yup," Izzy nodded again, rubbing his hand on Saleena's thigh. "Hundreds of thousands. We're each responsible for a certain number of souls."

"And you had mine?" Lamont asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," Izzy confirmed as Saleena kissed him on the cheek. "Your soul popped up on my list eleven years ago, along with your parents."

Lamont paused, a little taken aback by all the touchy feely stuff going on between the couple, and then asked, "There's a list?"

"Yeah," Izzy replied, and then stared at Saleena with admiration when he asked Lamont, "Do you know why I'm here?"

Lamont's eyes lit up. "To take my soul?"

"No," Izzy shook his head. "To pick up the stuff you've collected for me."

"What about my soul?" Lamont questioned.

Saleena rubbed Izzy's chest and asked him, "I thought you said he's like your assistant?"

"He is," Izzy insisted. "He just doesn't understand it."

"Understand what?" Lamont asked.

Izzy explained, "That your soul is stuck in your body until I die, or a demon highjacks your body."

Fear crept into Lamont's eyes. "If you're a reaper, who can kill you, and how can a demon highjack my body?" He stood shocked, taking it all in, no longer affected by the rubbing, petting, and massaging Saleena and Izzy continued to carry out as they explained things to him.

Izzy said, "I actually stopped being a reaper when I crossed over. Technically I can't die here, but other reapers can cross over, kill this body, drag my soul back into the smoke where I come from, and then perform a ritual that renders me void. And that would pass my list onto another reaper, who would certainly come and collect your soul."

Saleena added, "As for the demon highjacking your body, at the time of your initial death your body attracts demons but the reaper's presence keeps them away while he takes your soul. If your body experiences a death encounter and you don't have the presence of a reaper, a demon can push your soul out and posses your body. Izzy crossed over, leaving every soul on his list vulnerable to demon possession."

Lamont paced. "So a demon can come highjack me right now?"

"No," Saleena answered. "Only if you experience another death encounter. There's a moment when the soul is severed from the body. Only a reaper can collect the soul or reestablish the connection. It's during that moment that a demon can step in."

Lamont stopped pacing and eyed Saleena. "You're a reaper too?"

Saleena shook her head. "No. I'm the devil's daughter."

Before Lamont could respond, Izzy said, "We met twelve years ago while I was dropping a soul off in hell."

Saleena blushed. "We fell in love, but his brother reapers and my father didn't approve. My father called it absurd. Apparently it's not technically forbidden for a reaper and a demon to be together, but that's only because no one ever thought it necessary to forbid it because no one ever considered the possibility of a reaper actually falling for a demon. Either way the forces that be determined that Izzy and I should not be together."

Izzy cut back in, "So we pretended to stop seeing each other and spent the last eleven years making arrangements to cross over."

"It was the only way we could be together," Saleena whispered. "Izzy is the only one for me, and I refuse to spend an eternity in hell withering away in loneliness like some tormented damned human soul."

Lamont took a deep breath and exhaled. "That's why you kept me alive. To help you cross over," he paused. "But you had me collect enough weapons to wage a small war."

Izzy stood. "I hope so, because there's a mob of demons operating here that aren't going to like our presence, and we intend to send all of them back where they came from before they can send us back."

Lamont studied Izzy and said, "What do you need me to do?"

Izzy said, "For now, just give me what you have for me, and I'll contact you when I need you"

Lamont ran into his bedroom and came back lugging the two duffle bags and a backpack and dropped them at Izzy's feet. "There's a brand new Cadillac Escalade parked in the garage with a duffle bag of guns and combat gear in the back," he said and tossed Izzy a set of car keys. "I set you up in a nice spot in Connecticut like you requested. You'll find the keys and directions in the backpack along with contact information for someone who will set you up with proper ID."

"What about the layout to the warehouse?" Izzy asked.

"In the backpack," Lamont assured.

"Thanks," Izzy said, shaking Lamont's hand.

Lamont waved off Izzy's gratitude. "I should be thanking you. You gave me another shot at life."

Saleena told Lamont, "Word of advice, avoid life-ending situations and keep a gun on you in case you run into one of those highjacked bodies. If you do, pierce the brain and he'll go straight back to hell. A bullet will certainly do the trick."

Lamont shrugged. "How will I know if I run into one?"

Saleena looked directly into Lamont's eyes. "You'll know."

Chapter Three

Eshu tightly gripped the steering wheel as he maneuvered the Maybach through the fruit- named streets of Buffalo, New York. It was a little after midnight and Eshu's facial expression said he was about to do something he'd rather not do. His dark-blue suit and designer shoes made him look like he was headed to a red-carpet event, but the scowl on his face announced that there was something much more sinister on the agenda. On the front passenger seat sat a small wooden box like the one Saleena pulled from Bob's safe. Eshu eyed the box as he pulled up in front of a nondescript two-story building that was wedged between two dilapidated warehouses. He parked, grabbed the box, got out the car, and adjusted his tie before gingerly approaching the building's front entrance.

Eshu knocked on the door, and a tall, muscular guy, also dressed in a suit, opened the door and frowned at the sight of him. Music blared from inside. Before the guy could say a word, Eshu shifted the box from his right hand to his left hand and quickly drew a semi-automatic handgun from one of two holsters hidden under his blazer and placed the barrel against the guy's forehead.

"I have a message for Simon," Eshu said calmly.

"Easy. He's inside," the guy muttered nervously.

"Inside then, easy," Eshu ordered.

The guy slowly backed into the building and Eshu stepped forward with the gun glued to his forehead. Eshu's eyes narrowed as he kicked the door closed behind him and scanned the place. It was a smoke-filled night club. There was a small dance floor in the center of the room surrounded by almost two dozen tables. A bar ran the length of the right wall and several private booths ran the length of the wall to the left. The place was packed with well dressed women and men. Eshu's attention was drawn to six men standing guard in front of one of the private booths. He swiftly pointed his gun in the air and squeezed off three shots before placing the gun back on the guy's forehead.

The music stopped abruptly as the six men guarding the booth drew guns along with half the men and women in the club. All eyes snapped towards Eshu, and there was a collective gasp as the club patrons recognized him.

"Simon," Eshu called out.

Two tall, leggy, beautiful women stepped out from the booth behind the six guards and strutted over to Eshu like they were working a runway—their long, thick, curly hair bounced around their slender faces. They shared the same full lips, crystal-blue eyes, and high cheek bones. Only those who knew them well could tell them apart. Not only were they identical twins, but they always wore the same outfits. Tonight it was a form-fitting black dress with six-inch heels.

Eshu watched as the six men in front of the booth quickly retook their posts, obscuring the view of the booth's remaining occupant. He chuckled and turned his attention to the twins. "Stacy," he nodded to the one on the left. "Tracy," he nodded to the one on the right.

Tracy asked, "What are you doing here?"

Before Eshu could respond, Stacy said, "You're out of place."

Eshu gripped the gun's handle and pressed the barrel deeper into the doorman's forehead. "Remember who you're talking to."

Tracy giggled "You're nothing here .We're not afraid of you."

Stacy added, "You're nothing but a messenger."

Eshu exhaled. "Stupid little minions. If I'm here then something must have changed."

Eshu squeezed the trigger and sent a bullet into the doorman's head. Time appeared to stand still as a thick black smoke oozed from the doorman's mouth and evaporated while his body fell lifelessly to the floor. Stacy and Tracy couldn't believe it. They attempted to rush at Eshu, but he quickly dropped the box, pulled another gun from under his blazer, and had a barrel pressed against each their foreheads before the box could even hit the floor.

"Wait," the twins pled in unison.

Eshu looked around and noticed the men and women in the club had turned their guns on each other. He smirked. "I guess you're not one big happy family after all. Like you said, I'm nothing here, but I'm sure you don't want to see me where you'll go if I send a bullet into your brains."

"But how?" Stacy stammered.

"I told you, things have changed," Eshu said flatly.

A handsome guy in an expensive suit emerged from the booth behind the six guards. "Everybody put your weapons away, now!" he said in a commanding tone. Everyone did as he said, and he strolled over to Eshu with the stride of an arrogant self-made billionaire.

Eshu lowered his guns and said, "It's been a long time, Simon."

Simon eyed the doorman's body. "What the hell is going on?"

Eshu holstered his guns and picked up the box. "You're sister's here."

Simon shrugged. "And? I was informed she would be visiting for a few weeks."

Eshu shook his head. "No. I mean she stole one of your father's summoning blades, used it to summon Izzy, made him use it, and then released your father's breath."

Simon mumbled, "The summoning blade and the devil's breath?"

Eshu nodded. "She's here to stay."

Stacy frowned. "But that's impossible."

Tracy added, "Two of the devil's children can't fully exist in this world at the same time."

Simon scratched his chin. "Not without knocking the gates between our worlds wide open."

"Exactly," Eshu concluded before telling Simon. "You no longer control the gate. A bullet to the head will send any of your little flock back to where they came."

Simon turned to Stacy and Tracy and told them, "Send everyone home." He then turned to Eshu. "We can talk in my office."

Simon led Eshu to a door behind the bar. The office looked like it belonged to a Wall Street executive. There was a huge oak desk with a computer and a phone on top of it. A leather sofa sat on the wall to the left of the desk and a huge safe sat on the wall to the right. Simon motioned Eshu to take a seat in front of the desk as he walked around it and sat in his high-back leather chair.

"We have to find her," Simon said, running his fingers over his head.

Eshu sat the box on the desk. "That's going to be complicated."

"She doesn't know this world. It should be easy," Simon reasoned.

Eshu shook his head. "Not exactly."

"Izzy?" Simon muttered knowingly.

"It appears they've been planning this thing for over ten years," Eshu revealed.

"I don't believe this," Simon said through clenched teeth. "You have to find her and take her back."

"Your father has decided to let you and your sister play out your little sibling rivalry," Eshu explained.

"What?" Simon stood.

Eshu pointed at the box. "I was sent to drop off this gift."

Simon snatched the box and opened it. His eyes lit up at the sight of a summoning blade. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

Eshu replied, "It will summon a reaper who has some very important information for you."

Simon fingered the knife's blade. "A gift, huh?"

"It's time for me to go home. I hate it here," Eshu muttered and headed for the door.

Stacy and Tracy walked in as Eshu walked out. They stopped in their tracks when they saw the knife in Simon's hand.

Stacy asked, "What's going on?"

Simon eyed the knife. "We're going to find out. Send that bartender in here."

Stacy left the room and returned a moment later with a short pretty woman with a voluptuous body.

"What's up boss?" the bubbly bartender asked.

Simon smoothly walked over to her with the knife in his hand. "I need you to do me a favor," he said.

The bartender smiled. "What's that?"

"Die," Simon said, thrusting the knife into her chest.

The bartender's eyes grew wide with pain as she fell to her knees with the knife stuck in her chest. Stacy and Tracy smirked as they watched the bartender take her last breath.

Simon looked around the office and said, "Show yourself."

Thick black smoke filled the room. Simon calmly stood his ground while Stacy and Tracy frantically covered their mouth and nose and fanned the smoke away from them. The smoke whirled into a small tornado in the center of the room and then evaporated, revealing a tall, rock-star looking dude with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Simon eyed the man and laughed. "Asraf"

Asraf took a deep breath and nodded. "Simon my friend, how have you been?"

"I'm surviving. I can't complain," Simon replied. "Now what is your brother Izzy and my devil of a sister up to?"

Asraf shook his head and eyed Stacy and Tracy. "Simon, my boy. Pleasure before business." Asraf approached the twins, took them each by a hand, and gently kissed the back of their hands. "It is a great honor to meet you two lovely creatures," he said, cutting his eyes from one twin to the other.

Stacy and Tracy's eyes literally jumped with flames as they blushed.

Simon pulled the knife from the bartender's chest. "Tell me what you have to tell me," he demanded.

Asraf sighed and turned to Simon. "Such a party-pooper." He walked around Simon's desk, sat in his chair, and kicked his feet up. "Did you know that nine out of ten souls on Izzy's list belong to people who sold their souls to your father?"

"And?" Simon asked impatiently.

Asraf smiled. "And Izzy spent most of his time watching those people, studying them, and unfortunately for you, studying them to the point of admiration. He envies them. Their selfishness, their arrogance, their violent ways, their greedy nature, their competitive spirit, their life-style. That's why he's here."

Simon frowned. "What does this have to do with me?"

Asraf explained, "He wants to be a boss, a don, a kingpin, a godfather, and he's wooed your sister with fantasies about how grand life on earth can be. Not only does she believe him, but she has encouraged him to aim for the top."

Stacy said, "You don't mean—"

Asraf nodded at Simon. "They're coming for you."

Simon and the twins looked at each other and laughed. "Well," Simon said. "The sooner they get here, the sooner I'll send them back to hell."

"You don't understand," Asraf said and stood. "Let me spell it out for you. Your sister, the temptress, has joined forces with a reaper who specializes in collecting the souls of the dammed. They want this great life you got going here on earth, and they plan on dismantling your organization from the ground up. They intend to launch their plan by enlisting the assistance of the lost soul."

Concern covered Simon's face. "They'll never find her."

"You sure about that?" Asraf asked with a smirk.

"She's buried away real good," Stacy said.

Asraf chuckled. "They've already located her, and they should be trying to get to her as we speak."

Tracy said, "We need to warn—"

"No," Simon said flatly. "If they know the location it's already too late. I guess we'll see what we're up against."

Stacy replied, "But it's only—"

Asraf cut in, "The devil's daughter and a reaper, and they're on a mission."

"He's right," Simon admitted. "But the million dollar question is why is he telling us all of this?

"I'm a pragmatist," Asraf replied. "Izzy expects me and my brothers to come after him, and technically we're supposed to. But that would be a waste of time as long as your sister has a summoning blade. Not to mention your father requested that we not intervene in this little family feud you and your sister got brewing. So we figured the balance is already broken, we'll wait until you knock your sister off and then take care of Izzy."

Simon shrugged. "And what if she knocks me off?"

Asraf smiled. "Your father will personally hand Izzy over to us."

"In exchange for your not intervening," Simon reasoned.

"Exactly," Asraf nodded. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have souls to collect." Simon said, "I know how to find you if I need you."

Asraf bowed to Stacy and Tracy. "Ladies, I hope we meet again," he said and then morphed into a cloud of black smoke that vanished into thin air.

Stacy looked at Simon with concern in her eyes. "What are we going to do?"

Simon replied, "We handle it like any other turf war. We've been here before. That's how the lost soul became the lost soul, remember?"

Tracy sighed, "Yeah but now the gates are open, losing means being sent back to hell. That changes every—"

Simon grabbed Tracy by the neck and lifted her off her feet. "You doubt that I can make it hell on earth for you if I choose to?"

"No," Tracy grunted, struggling to breathe.

Simon whispered, "Display weakness again and there will be two lost souls instead of one."

Simon released Tracy and she bent over gasping for air. "I'm sorry," she panted.

Simon barked, "My sister has issued a challenge. Get the word out."

Tracy and Stacy nodded and scrambled out the office.

Simon sat behind his desk and fingered the summoning blade. He knew his sister well enough to know that Asraf's narration of events was a little off. Saleena didn't need anyone to convince her to come after him. She genuinely resented him to the point of hatred, and he knew it. But that hadn't always been the case. For over six centuries the brother and sister had been inseparable in hell, and then Simon ran off to earth to fulfill his destiny. He had kept in touch at first, but it had been over sixty years since he last visited her. He had gotten so focused on his task on earth that he totally neglected his baby sister. His brotherly nature understood that it was probably his absence that paved the way for her relationship with Izzy. He imagined she stumbled into Izzy's arms in an attempt to fill the void created by the overwhelming sense of estrangement their separation had ignited in her being. Had he been around more, she would have never fallen into an alliance with a reaper. He had literally pushed her into Izzy's arms and cultivated her contempt for him. If only he had made an effort to stay in touch with her. Oh well, he thought, now she was a demon scorned. She and Izzy had joined forces against him, and he would make them regret it. She was no longer the little sister he had trained to punish and torment in hell. She was now his enemy, and he would treat her like he treated all of his enemies—with a stealthy violence.

He remembered how stubborn and haughty Saleena could be when she had her mind set on something. "Finally, a war worth fighting," he muttered. And it was a war he was confident he couldn't lose. He was the devil's chosen seed on earth. His was a great and lofty destiny—and it didn't include falling at the hands of his baby sister or her so-called boyfriend.

***

Izzy and Saleena checked into a cheap motel in Rochester, New York. They sat on the edge of the bed loading a dozen magazines for automatic and semi-automatic weapons. On the bed behind them lay two AR-15 assault rifles, four Glock .9mm handguns, two .44 caliber Desert Eagle handguns, two Kevlar vests, eight flash grenades, and two all black mercenary style outfits. The clock on the night stand read 1:00am. They periodically got lost in each other's eyes for moments at a time, beheld each other's faces, and shared brief passionate kisses here and there, but didn't say a word until they finished loading the last bullets.

"It's almost time," Izzy said. "We should get changed."

Saleena licked her lips. "Do we have time to test the flesh?" she purred girlishly.

Izzy held her by the face and gently kissed her on the cheek with a deliberateness that signaled a level of intimacy not at all possible in such a simple act. "I would love to see what it feels like, but we'll have plenty of time for that after we finish this first job.

Saleena ran her fingers through his hair and exhaled as a tingling sensation swept over her body. It was a joyous sensation—a mixture of the desire she reveled in for Izzy and the potential chaos she was sure to partake in before the night was over. She imagined the blissful life in the flesh that awaited her. She would have the best of both worlds: Izzy would answer the call of the powerful yearning that resided in her new flesh, and her feud with Simon would quench the thirst for chaos that held together the very fabric of her demonic essence. "Life here is going to be so perfect," she thought aloud.

They dressed into the mercenary outfits and strapped their guns into holsters on their waists and under their arms and then finished by draping a belt full of extra clips across their chests. They looked like they were ready for war.

"Remember," Izzy said, clipping four flash grenades to his waist. "Aim for the head, and don't get shot in the head. Other shots will hurt, but you'll heal quickly."

Saleena clipped the other four flash grenades to her waist and nodded. "I'm ready."

Chapter Four

It was two in the morning and all was quiet on the waterfront in downtown Rochester. A large manufacturing company and all of the neighboring businesses were closed. Well, all but one. A one-story warehouse was bustling with activity inside. The sign hanging outside the warehouse announced that it specialized in the import and export of exotic animal skins, but there was a lot more to the warehouse than that. Just inside the entrance was a small office where five men stood brandishing automatic machine guns. At first glance it appeared the armed men guarded the rows of inventory boxes that filled the warehouse, but on the other side of that inventory was a door to a large room where eight more men counted over a million dollars with money counting machines and packaged thousands of ecstasy and Viagra pills.

A short, fat, sharply dressed, balding man entered the warehouse, and the five guards nodded to him in respect. It was the same fat guy Lamont had staked-out four years earlier.

"Good evening Mr. Kenny," one of the guards greeted.

Charles Kenny eyed his Rolex. "More like morning."

Charles was one of Simon's top lieutenants. He had been brought from hell to serve one function, and he did it very well. "Time to get to work," Charles said before heading to the back room.

The eight men in the room didn't stop working when Charles walked in. They nodded at him and continued their tasks. Charles walked over to a lamp mounted on the wall in the back of the room. He turned the lamp, and a secret door opened in the wall to the left of the lamp, revealing a dark stairwell that led to some kind of basement. He stepped into the stairwell and one of the men turned the lamp back, closing the secret door behind him.

Charles made his way down to the pitch-black basement with no problem. He had personally designed the makeshift dungeon and had visited every night for over a decade. There was the sound of growling as he stopped and reached for a string that hung from a lamp on the ceiling. He pulled the string and the basement lit up, revealing that he stood between two cells with small barred windows built into eight-inch thick steel enforced doors. There was scratching and clawing at the door to Charles' left. He smiled while removing a key from his pocket and then unlocked the door. The moment he opened the door, two huge Rottweilers with flaming red eyes and extremely long fangs jumped on him.

"Down," Charles said calmly, and the dogs stopped jumping on him.

Charles opened the other door and walked in with the dogs barking ferociously at his sides. In front of him was a naked beautiful goddess of a woman with her wrists and ankles chained to the wall, giving her barely enough slack to take a step forward. Her cream-colored skin was flawless and her long black hair was silky smooth. She locked her emerald eyes onto Charles and her piercing gaze nearly made him shiver.

Charles taunted, "Did you miss me, Tess?"

Tess smiled. "You're going to beg for the devil's wrath when I get free," she threatened.

Charles laughed. "You're never getting free. Simon's going to keep you here forever. The powerless demon trapped on earth that can't die even if she wanted too. A lost soul."

"Come on and get it over with," she snapped through clenched teeth.

"That's one wish I'm more than happy to fulfill." He patted the dogs on their heads and told them, "Feed."

The dogs hurried at Tess and jumped on her, biting at her face and breasts. Tess screamed and yelled as the dogs ripped into her skin and snatched away chunks of her flesh.

***

Upstairs in the warehouse, the five guards sat in the office playing cards when two flash grenades crashed through one of the front windows. One of the flash grenades landed right in front of their office.

"No!" the guards yelled in unison when they spotted the flash grenades.

The guard tried to scramble out the way, but it was too late. The grenades exploded, leaving the guards dazed and confused. Within the next second, Izzy and Saleena smashed through the warehouse's front entrance aiming their AR-15s. One of the guards stumbled out the office and Izzy promptly fired a shot directly into the center of his forehead, dropping him dead.

Saleena eyed the dead guard and said, "They're human."

Izzy rushed into the office to engage the remaining guards. Meanwhile, the other eight men stormed from the back room brandishing handguns. One of them spotted Saleena and fired at her. She fired back and ducked for cover behind a stack of boxes. The eight men spread out among the inventory boxes—four to the left and four to the right.

Inside the guards' office, Izzy worked quickly on the four remaining guards. The shock of the flash grenade had them too disoriented to realize that they were under fire. Izzy nonchalantly mowed them down at the knees and then sent a barrage of bullets into each of their faces. Izzy's attention was then drawn by the sound of gunfire.

"You all right?" he called out to Saleena as he emerged from the office.

"Yeah," she answered, peeking at Izzy from behind the stack of boxes. "It's eight of them. They split up. Four went left and the others went right."

Izzy reloaded his AR-15. "I'll take the right and make my way to the basement. Meet me there."

"Okay," Saleena nodded.

"Have fun," Izzy encouraged.

Izzy crouched down and aimed his assault rifle like a seasoned professional. He inched his way along a row of inventory boxes. A goon appeared in front of him to his left, and he quickly shot the goon in the head, killing him. Another goon appeared and fired at Izzy from his right. Izzy took a shot in his left arm before he shot the goon in the leg. The goon fell to one knee and Izzy emptied his assault rifle into his chest and face.

"Damn!" Izzy yelped in pain as he touched his wounded arm.

Another goon popped up in front of Izzy with his gun drawn. Izzy tried to fire the assault rifle, but the clip was empty. The goon fired, hitting Izzy in the left thigh and right shoulder. Izzy dropped to the floor and grunted in pain. The goon then slowly approached Izzy, keeping his gun aimed at Izzy's head.

"Do you know whose place this is?" the goon asked Izzy, standing over him.

"Simon's," Izzy stated.

"You're a dead man, and your soul is toast," the goon taunted.

"I could say the same for you," Saleena told the goon from about ten feet behind him.

The goon never had a chance. Saleena fired four shots into his head. She then rushed over to Izzy and knelt at his side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it just stings like hell," he confessed.

"Can you get up?" she asked.

Izzy nodded and stood. "Yeah, really, I'm fine." He put his finger through one of the bullet holes in his shirt and showed her that his flesh had healed back to normal. "I just have to get used to this whole flesh thing. The shock of the hit knocked me down."

"Don't worry—" Saleena started, but stopped when she spotted the remaining five goons approaching from opposite directions—three in front and two behind. They had Saleena and Izzy in a cross fire. Saleena dropped her assault rifle while simultaneously pulling the two Glocks from her waist. Izzy pulled his two Glocks too. Saleena and Izzy stood back to back. The goons opened fire and Saleena and Izzy did the same, but the goons had the advantage. Izzy took another shot in the arm while Saleena took two shots to her vest. Saleena shot one of the goons in the head, causing the two goons with him to step back, but not before one of them fired a shot aimed at her head.

Time seemed to stand still as the bullet made its way to Saleena's forehead. It was destined to be a definite kill shot. She imagined being thrust back to hell. That's what the rules demanded. She had gone through all that trouble to be with Izzy, to experience life on earth, and it was about to end before it even began.

"No," she whispered defiantly.

The bullet disintegrated a fraction of a second before it touched her skin. The goon rapidly fired several more shots at her face, and each bullet disintegrated before it made contact. Saleena realized that it was her skin that disintegrated the bullets.

"Get down," she yelled to Izzy.

Izzy dropped to his knees and Saleena turned sideways and stretched her arms to her full wing span, aiming her guns at both sets of goons. The goons fired and their bullets disintegrated several feet away from Izzy and Saleena, as if they had hit some sort of force field. The goons stopped firing and lowered their guns in shock.

"My turn," Saleena warned and fired at the goons, killing each of them with head shots.

Izzy stood and brushed himself off. "What just happened?"

"At first the bullets couldn't penetrate my skin, but then I realized that I could feel the bullets' heat. I manipulated the heat like I do back home," she explained.

"I'll figure out what that means later," Izzy said. "Let's hurry up and get Tess out of here before more goons show up."

***

The dogs were doing a serious number on Tess. It was a gruesome scene. There was barely anything left of her. Charles stood there smiling. He enjoyed watching the hell hounds rip Tess' body to shreds, but he got more enjoyment out of watching her flesh regenerate.

"Down," he commanded the dogs.

The dogs returned to his side, leaving Tess' skinless body hanging from the chains. Only a few strings of skin remained on her bloody limbs. Her jaw and cheek bones were exposed, as were parts of her other bones. The dogs had bitten deep.

"Hurry up and grow that skin back so we can finish," Charles teased.

Tess grimaced and replied, "Remove these damn chains and I will really finish this." Charles shook his head. "No, no, no. Simon personally imported those chains from hell.

They're the only chains on earth strong enough to constrain you." He admired her body from a distance as her flesh and skin slowly regenerated back to normal, displaying her flawless beauty. "Here we go."

Tess barked, "What are you waiting for?"

Charles scanned her body with lust in his eyes. "Relax. You know I like to admire your beauty. I'm just waiting for the day that Simon rethinks his order that no man or demon in human flesh should touch you."

"Yeah, me too," she said coldly.

The dogs suddenly turned to the door and barked like they were preparing to attack something.

"What is it?" Charles asked the dogs.

The dogs backed away from the door, still barking. Saleena stepped into the doorway holding a Glock with Izzy behind her brandishing two Glocks.

Charles squinted as he looked at Saleena. "Saleena?" he asked, unsure of the answer.

"In the flesh," Saleena replied.

Charles frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Saleena motioned to Tess. "I came for her"

"But your brother—" Charles started.

"Is about to be overthrown," Saleena declared.

"Feed!" Charles yelled to the dogs.

The dogs snarled and jumped at Saleena. She dropped her gun and caught the dogs by their necks, one in each hand. "Bad puppies," she told them. She squeezed their necks and her hands turned lava red, igniting the dogs into flames before they disintegrated.

Charles' eyes grew wide with shock and he tried to force his way past Saleena to get out the cell, but she grabbed him by the neck with one hand, lifted him off the floor, and rammed him into the wall to the left where she held him up and choked him.

"Sic your dogs on me, huh?" she muttered.

"I'm sorry Princess Saleena," Charles pleaded.

"Not yet, but you will be," Saleena threatened.

Saleena's hands turned lava red and Charles' clothes burst into flames and disintegrated followed by all of his skin. Then his flesh slowly melted away. He yelled in pain and kicked and wiggled to shake free, but Saleena held her grip firm.

Tess yelled, "Don't kill him, he's mine!"

Saleena dropped Charles and he crawled into a corner and winced as he balled up into the fetal position. Saleena walked over to Tess and pulled the summoning blade from her waist.

Tess eyed the blade. "I can't be sent back," she said with a defeated tone.

Saleena replied, "I'm not so sure about that, but I came here for an alliance."

Tess raised a brow. "Alliance?"

Saleena explained, "Izzy and I plan on staying here, and we plan on knocking off my brother's organization."

Tess sighed, "I tried that before."

"Yeah," Saleena nodded. "But you didn't have the devil's daughter and a reaper on your side."

Tess eyed Izzy skeptically. "Izzy the reaper, the collector of dammed souls?"

"Hey," Izzy greeted with a wave, taking in her beauty. "We never really met, but your reputation precedes you."

Saleena turned to Izzy and rolled her eyes. "What?"

Izzy shrugged. "I mean the whole seductress thing."

"Whatever," Saleena said and turned back to Tess. "This is your chance to pay my brother back."

"The temptress and the seductress, huh?" Tess muttered. "We might pull it off. Release me."

Saleena placed the knife's blade flat against one of the steel constraints on Tess' wrists and all four constraints opened, releasing her.

Tess rubbed her wrists and turned to Charles, whose charred body still lay balled up in the corner. "He's not healing," she pointed out.

Izzy said, "It has something to do with Saleena."

Tess laughed. "I had planned on sending Charles back to hell in a very painful way, but it seems more fitting to leave him here like this."

Saleena added, "Yeah, it'll send my brother a message."

"That we mean business," Tess giggled.

Izzy said, "Let's get out of here." Then he looked at Tess. "I'm sure you want to get in some clothes."

"Clothes?" Tess mocked. "I could barely keep my skin on down here, of course I want some clothes."

Saleena said, "We got some of your clothes in the truck."

Izzy scanned Tess' body and motioned to the door. "After you."

Tess smiled and then strutted her thick but firm frame out the cell, drawing Izzy's attention to her healthy curves. Izzy's eyes dropped to Tess' backside and Saleena playfully smacked him on the back of the head.

Saleena told Izzy, "Not even two days in the flesh, and you're already looking at every woman you see."

"That's no woman, and many men and demons have killed for a moment with that," he reminded.

"Kill for?" she asked rhetorically. "How about sold their souls for?"

Tess yelled from outside the cell, "You two coming or what?"

Izzy and Saleena snickered as they walked out the cell, leaving Charles' charred, fleshy-looking body balled up in the corner. Tess got dressed into the clothes Lamont had purchased for her years ago while Izzy and Saleena gathered all the money the goons had been counting in the back room and loaded it into the truck.

***

Izzy pulled the Escalade onto the red-brick driveway of a two-story, six bedroom, Victorian style mansion in the suburbs of Rochester known as Pittsford. Tess eyed the landscaped six acres that surrounded the mansion from the back seat.

"This is nice," Tess said. "Who lives here?"

Saleena turned to Tess from the front passenger seat. "We do."

"Oh, okay," Tess nodded. "From these outdated clothes ya'll gave me, I thought we were starting from the bottom. I mean, you could've gotten me something in season."

Izzy parked and cut off the ignition. "Actually, we have a couple of houses spread out across the country," he bragged.

"Yeah," Tess said. "Well, Simon owns consulting firms, security firms, import/export companies, hotels, factories, casinos, and night clubs all over the world. And they're all a front for his underground empire. He has his hands in everything from drugs, to sex slaves, to gambling, to assassinations, to blackmail."

Tess got out the truck and Izzy and Saleena followed. As soon as they stepped in the house, Tess plopped down on the couch and said, "I need time to think and clear my head. We'll talk in the morning."

Izzy and Saleena headed upstairs to the master bedroom. A king-size canopy bed sat in the center of the room. On the right side of the bed sat a tall dresser flanked by his and her walk-in closets. On the left side of the bed was the door to the bathroom, which had a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and his and her sinks. On the wall to the right of the bathroom door was a desk with a high back chair.

Izzy pulled Saleena into the bathroom, cut on the shower, and then began taking off his clothes. "What are you waiting for? Take off your clothes."

They slowly stripped and eyed each other. Saleena's unadulterated beautiful body was like a dream come true, and Izzy looked the part of a stud gigolo. He admired her while she took in his firm muscular chest, and six pack abs.

They spent the next hour in the shower, kissing and exploring each other's bodies. He had witnessed many of his clients make love. She may have been an eight hundred year old demon, but she was new born to the flesh, and she reacted like any other young lady losing her virginity: fretful and apprehensive.

"Now that we got that out the way, we have to that again." Said Seleena.

Izzy nibbled on her ear and said, "Yeah, but not now. The flesh needs sleep."

She lay her head on his chest. "I thought it was me. I'm tired too."

"Good," he said and kissed her on the forehead. "We always have tomorrow."

Saleena closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm touch of her body lying against his. She had imagined the moment for over a decade, and it was finally upon her. She went to sleep happier than she had been in her entire existence.

Chapter Five

By dawn the crime scene Saleena and Izzy had left at the waterfront warehouse was crawling with investigators. Police officers walked in and out of the place as the bodies of the five guards and eight goons lay in front of the building in body bags. Nat pulled up in a dark blue sedan and parked within the maze of other medical and law enforcement vehicles. He got out the car and glanced around. Although the sedan screamed government agent, his Prada shoes and tailor-made suit announced there was more to him than met the eye. He strolled over to an officer near the entrance and flashed a fancy badge.

"Agent Nathaniel Brenner," he told the officer.

The officer eyed the badge and said, "Homeland Security, huh?"

"Who's in charge here?" Nat asked.

"Detective Jones, he's inside," the officer answered.

Nat walked in the warehouse and yelled, "Detective Jones!"

Another officer shouted, "He's in the room in the back."

Nat nodded and headed to the back room where he found Detective Jones and several other detectives cataloging ecstasy and Viagra.

"Detective Jones?" Nat asked.

"Yeah, that's me. What can I do for you?" Jones asked.

Nat sized up Jones' short pudgy frame and flashed his badge. "Agent Nathaniel Brenner, Homeland Security."

Jones eyed the badge and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Nat looked around and said, "I need you to clear out this room. I need to examine it alone."

Jones scratched his chin. "Sorry, but I can't do that."

Nat's face turned ice-cold. "Are you familiar with interagency protocols?" Nat asked, referring to the ultra-secret jurisdiction overrides enacted by Congress after 9/11.

Jones sighed, "Yeah, I heard of them."

Nat pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his blazer and handed it to Jones, and Jones read it and passed it back.

"How long you need?" Jones asked.

"Half hour tops," Nat replied.

"Okay," Jones nodded. "Everybody out!" he yelled to his people.

Nat told Jones, "I don't want anyone within twenty feet of this building until I come out."

"I understand," Jones said as he ushered his people out.

Nat waited until the building was empty and then opened the secret door by turning the lamp and then went into the basement. His hands were steady and his mind was clear as he made his way down the corridor to the cell where Charles lay on the floor whimpering in pain, still in the charred condition Saleena left him.

"What do we have here," Nat mumbled.

Charles' eyes widened at the sound of Nat's voice, and he tried to crawl but barely moved.

"Now who could have done this to you?" Nat asked. "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to talk about that." Nat noticed the chains hanging from the wall and rushed over to examine them. "Demon restraints," he mumbled. "Yes, you have a lot to tell."

Nat pulled out his mother's crystal from his pocket and stood over Charles. "Time to go," he said and held the crystal high above his head. "Pass your being into the light, demon!"

A bright, thick ray of light beamed down at Charles from the crystal. The ground shook and Charles screamed in pain as the beam of light disintegrated his body into tiny particles and sucked the particles into the crystal.

"Got you," Nat said.

He eyed the crystal in amazement for a moment and then tossed it in his pocket. He couldn't believe he did it. He had captured his first demon. He took a deep breath to calm his excitement and then walked out the warehouse looking as serious as possible.

Jones approached Nat as soon as he stepped out the warehouse. "Is everything all right," he asked Nat.

"Just fine," Nat said firmly. "The place is all yours."

Jones nodded and waved to his fellow officers. "It's our show people."

Nat patted the crystal in his pocket before hopping into his car and pulling off. He gripped the wheel and thought about his mother. It had been fifteen years since she was murdered, but he could see her face in his head as if he had just seen her that morning. Then he thought about Angela and Todd and all they had done for him.

"You took everything I knew and love," he muttered as he drove away from the waterfront. "But your days are numbered, Simon."

Angela and Todd had indeed trained him very well, and he sensed a storm was brewing that would put that training to the test. He also sensed two guys tailing him in a cream Lincoln Navigator. The two guys had been discreetly parked up the block from the warehouse, watching and waiting for the police to clear out. They knew something wasn't right when the police cleared the warehouse for Nat. They also knew that what they sought inside the warehouse was no longer there. They had felt a demon's presence on Nat as they watched him exit the warehouse and get in his car, so they followed him.

The sun was just rising, and there wasn't much traffic on the streets of Rochester. Nat decided to try to shake the tail. He eyed the Navigator in his rear view mirror and then floored the gas for a few blocks and made a hard right into a rat-infested alley. Then he hopped out the car and quickly popped his trunk. The Navigator turned into the alley just as Nat pulled a sheathed Samurai-looking sword from the trunk. Nat unsheathed the sword as the guys got out the truck. The driver quickly studied the sword's unique blade. It was black, but shined like crystal. It appeared to be made from some kind of polished carbon fiber. The guys approached Nat and stopped a few feet away from him. Nat tossed the sword's sheath back in the trunk and held the sword at his side.

The driver chuckled. "Where's Saleena, Reaper?"

Nat said, "I don't know what you're talking about, demon. Now run along before you get hurt."

The driver looked over at his partner. "You have the wrong weapon," the driver joked.

Nat smiled. "This is not a fight you want to pick."

The guys pulled semi-automatic handguns from the back of their waists and aimed them at Nat.

"Have it your way," the driver said. "Let's show him what pain feels like."

The guys opened fire, but within a fraction of a second, Nat braced himself and swung the handle of the blade upward until the blade was parallel to his body and the point was facing the ground. The sword emitted an invisible force field in front of Nat and one bullet after another hit the force field and fell harmlessly to the ground.

The whites of the driver's eyes darkened. "I'm going to send you to hell," he threatened in a demonic sounding voice before throwing his gun at Nat and lunging at him with rage. Nat nonchalantly knocked the gun away with the sword and spun right and down to his right knee while thrusting the sword up behind him. The driver ran his stomach onto the tip of the sword and it came out his back, leaving him bent over yelping in pain. Nat then quickly stood, pulling the sword from the driver's stomach, and spun left, swinging the sword around and down across the driver's neck, severing his head clean off.

The other guy stood there frozen as the driver's body burst into flames and disintegrated.

Nat held the blood-drenched sword in his right hand and tapped the handle with his left hand, causing all the blood to magically slide off the blade.

"It's your turn," Nat told the other guy.

The other guy scrambled into the Navigator and sped off.

Nat sheathed the sword and tossed it in the trunk before climbing back in the car and pulling off.

***

Izzy and Saleena slept like new born babies after their first intimate escapade. Izzy woke up a little before noon and lay there enjoying the warmth of Saleena's body lying on top of him. About a half hour passed before Saleena stirred awake. She sat up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Humans have it so good," she said, stretching.

"Last night was just the beginning," Izzy promised.

Saleena rubbed his cheek and said, "Let's get in the shower."

She put her hand under the sheet and massaged his thigh. Izzy moaned and hopped out the bed. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, heading into the bathroom.

They got in the shower and it wasn't long before they were kissing and exploring each other bodies again. When they finally came down from their room, the smell of turkey bacon, egg omelets, and blueberry pancakes filled the house. They walked through the living room, which was lavishly furnished with a sectional sofa and a 50-inch wall- mounted plasma screen TV, and went into the antique furnished dining room, which had a custom made cedar dining table that sat ten. Bowls of oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, and apples sat on the center of the table surrounded by the elaborate breakfast.

Tess entered the dining room from the kitchen carrying a serving plate full of turkey links. "You're finally up, huh?"

Saleena motioned to the table. "What is all this?"

"Food," Tess answered. "Breakfast,"

"Why?" Izzy asked.

Saleena added, "We don't need to eat."

Surprise covered Tess' face. "You haven't tried food yet?"

"No," Izzy answered.

Tess sat the serving plate on the table. "Food is one of the best parts about being here." She grabbed a strawberry and held it in front of Saleena's lips. "Here, bite it."

Saleena reluctantly bit the strawberry and sighed with pleasure. She closed her eyes and savored the taste. "Wow," she exhaled.

Saleena took the rest of the strawberry from Tess and held it to Izzy's lips. "Try it," she told him.

Izzy bit the strawberry and his eyes grew wide. "Umm," he sighed, licking his lips. "That was...it was..."

"Delicious," Tess said and waved to the table. "It all is."

Saleena grabbed a cherry while Izzy grabbed a banana. Izzy attempted to bite the banana without peeling it and Tess stopped him and peeled it for him. He quickly devoured the banana while Saleena moved on to an apple. They spent the next two hours eating everything Tess had placed on the table, of course with Tess' help.

"That was almost better than sex," Izzy said as they sat at the table staring at the empty plates and bowls.

Tess nodded. "Close, but not exactly. After sex, the food is what I missed most while I was chained up in that basement. I went food shopping when I woke up this morning. There was no food here, but don't worry. I got enough to last for weeks."

Saleena rubbed her stomach. "I feel funny."

Tess laughed. "You're stuffed. We don't gain weight or get sick like humans, but you're going to have to go to the bathroom after you eat. It makes room for the next time you eat."

Saleena asked, "When do I go?"

"You'll know" Tess said.

Izzy bluntly asked, "Why did Simon have you chained up like that. I mean, weren't you like his mate or something like that?"

Tess inhaled before she answered. "I was one of the original five demons that crossed over with Simon, and you could say I was the closest to him. As you know, demons have always crossed over, but there have always been rules. We can tempt human beings, and any of them foolish enough to fall into our temptation open themselves to our wrath and our whims. But we can't do harm to those who do not fall to our temptations. Every now and then a rouge demon crosses over and breaks a rule."

"And what happens?" Saleena asked.

Tess explained, "A human fraction called the Order of Light tracks him down and annihilates him."

"How?" Izzy questioned.

Tess said, "It's complicated, but it involves crystals and light."

Izzy shook his head. "But what does that have to do with why Simon had you chained up?"

"Simon is like his father," Tess observed. "I mean all of us demons love chaos and mischief, but Simon needs to feel challenged. For two hundred years he's had his hand in every kind of human corruption, but men made it too easy for us to get everything and anything we wanted from them. Simon needed a challenge, and there was only one challenge left on earth, and that was the Order of Light. First he killed as many of them as he could find, then he captured one of them and made her tell him everything there was to know about them. He told us we had to do something to draw the Order of Light out into the open, and he concocted a plan."

Saleena raised a brow. "What kind of plan?"

"Release a wave of hate into the world so powerful that it made even the most kind-hearted human fall to our temptation," she revealed. "Only this time, we wouldn't just tempt humans to do evil, we would execute the evil act against good humans. We placed one of the original five, Bin Laden, at the head of the operation, and he pulled it off to perfection. We started small and then unleashed one of the worst atrocities in human history."

Izzy asked, "How did the Order of Light respond?"

"They didn't," Tess replied.

"But I thought—" Saleena started.

"Simon had lied to us," Tess said in frustration. "He had already secretly waged a war against the Order of Light that left them all dead except one. What Simon hadn't told us was that we weren't rogue demons. The Order of Light acknowledges that some demons are meant to be here to test the wills of men. However, they also believe in the coming of some kind of human- angel Warrior who would emerge specifically to slay Simon."

Saleena frowned. "But why would Simon want this warrior to come?"

"Because that is Simon's destiny. That is why he is here," Tess stated. "Your brother is here as part of your father's design. Your father seeks to establish his reign on earth, but he cannot do that until the appearance of the warrior known as the Host."

Saleena thought for a moment and said, "But that doesn't explain why you were chained up."

Tess confessed, "I tried to talk Simon out of summoning the Host because I was afraid of losing the life I built here, but he refused to listen to me, so I seduced some of his demon-lords into helping me overthrow him—and I failed."

Saleena and Izzy lovingly looked into each other's eyes as Saleena replied, "You won't fail this time."

"I hope not," Tess said, eyeing the couple enviously.

***

A barbwire fence prevented any unwanted guests form approaching the six-story office building where Simon lived and based his organization's headquarters. It was tucked away in a remote location in Upstate New York. Two armed guards stood at a security booth in front of the fence's electronic gate entrance. The guy Nat had let get away pulled up in the Navigator. His name was Ben, and he and his dead comrade were Simon's top enforcers. They specialized in exterminating anyone who got on Simon's bad side, whether it was demon or human. Ben had also played a major role in executing Simon's assault on the Order of Light.

"Good afternoon Ben," one of the guards greeted Ben when he stopped in front of the gate.

"Just open the gate," Ben snapped.

The guard quickly hit a switch and the gate opened. Ben drove through the gate and parked in an underground garage. He was overwhelmed with shame as he entered the building's lobby. He had helplessly stood by as his partner was slain, and now he had to face Simon. He started pass the reception desk, where a woman sat, and headed for the elevators.

"He's waiting for you in the training room," the woman told him.

Ben didn't reply. He took the elevator to the fourth floor and then made his way through a maze of corridors before walking into a large room with high ceilings. They called it the training room. It was about the size of a professional basketball court, and was mostly open space. A weapons rack filled with swords, sticks, and spears of all sorts sat along the wall to the left of the entrance. A balcony was built into the wall directly across from the entrance, overlooking the room from about ten-feet above. Ben walked into the center of the room and stood with his head lowered in respect and humility. Simon appeared in the balcony flanked by Stacy and Tracy.

"What happened?" Simon asked Ben.

Ben humbly narrated the morning's events, providing special details of his encounter with Nat.

Simon then asked, "And you did nothing?"

Ben kept his eyes glued to the floor. "I couldn't. It was like I couldn't pick up any of his intentions. I couldn't anticipate any of his moves, and neither could Jim. He wiped Jim out like it was nothing."

"Tell me about the sword," Simon said.

Ben hesitated before he replied, "It was black, but it shined like crystal."

Simon's eyes lit up and he glanced at Stacy and Tracy. He thought for a moment and then nodded. Four muscular men, dressed in all black, entered the room and surrounded Ben. They stood within two feet of Ben. Ben eyed the man standing directly in front of him and then looked up at Simon.

"So," Simon said. "This human portrayed no intentions at all."

"That is correct," Ben answered. "At first we thought he was the reaper that crossed over with your sister, but his attitude betrayed his human nature."

Simon motioned to the men surrounding Ben, and asked Ben, "And what about the intentions of the men surrounding you."

Ben smirked. "The man in front of me and the man behind me intend to draw their weapons. The men to my sides intend to subdue me and cuff my hands behind my back. Then the four of them intend to take me to a room upstairs where the one behind me intends to torture me until I pass out. He specifically intends to administer a grueling electric-shock technique. I assume they are waiting for the order to proceed."

"Good," Simon nodded. "And what do you intend?"

"Only to serve your will," Ben vowed.

Simon nodded, and in the blink of an eye, Ben slammed the base of his palm against the nose of the man in front of him, breaking his nose on impact and sending him bent over in pain with blood spraying everywhere. Ben felt the guy behind him attempting to pull his gun from his blazer and spun towards him, smashing a nose-breaking elbow into the nose of the guy on his right along the way, and then grabbed the gunman's wrist with his left hand and broke it with a crushing fisted blow from his right hand, which caused him to drop the gun. Before the gun hit the floor, the guy on the left rushed Ben and Ben squatted and simultaneously sent his left elbow into the attacker's groin while catching the gun by the barrel with his right hand and then smashed the butt of the gun against the attacker's nose. The man behind Ben winced and held his broken wrist while the other three men bent over nursing their broken noses. Ben eyed the four men and then dropped the gun, prepared to finish them off.

"Enough," Simon announced.

The four men left the room as a young girl entered using both hands to carry a tray with a bottle of water on it. She looked to be in her mid-teens. She had bright green eyes with her long hair styled in pig-tails and wore a short skirt with a halter-top. She walked around Ben to face him and offered him the water. Ben took the water and the girl started to leave, but then Ben abruptly knocked the tray in the air, revealing that she held a dagger in her left hand. The girl lunged at Ben, swinging the dagger at his chest. Ben grabbed her left wrist, twisted her left arm behind her back while spinning her around, took the dagger from her, and then rammed it into the top of her head.

Ben looked up at Simon as the girl's lifeless body fell to the floor. "The girl intended to kill me by stabbing me in the back."

Simon told Ben, "You still possess the vision and you have no problem manipulating your bodily vessel. This human must be more than what he appears. You will stay here until there is a sign of this human, and then you will track him down."

"When I find him?" Ben asked.

"Right now finding him is the objective," Simon said.

Ben bowed his head and then left.

Stacy waited for Ben to leave and then asked Simon, "Is this human the Host?"

"No," Simon replied. "It's the boy."

Tracy frowned. "You think he has Tess?"

Simon shook his head. "No. He arrived after the attack. He must have Charles."

Stacy said, "We should not have allowed him to snoop around as long as we have. We should have killed him."

Simon snapped, "There is no we. There is only I, and I need him alive. He has revealed that he is the keeper of the Host's sword, and now he will lead me to the Host."

"But if he has Charles—" Tracy started.

Simon finished her thought, "He's going to learn things about our organization." He paused, then added, "That will keep him close. Besides, Charles lacks knowledge of any serious details. The real problem is that Saleena and Izzy have Tess."

***

Simon was pleased to hear that Nat had the Host's sword. He took the elevator up to the fifth floor and approached a door guarded by two men brandishing automatic assault rifles. The guards greeted Simon with a nod and stepped aside for him to enter the door. Simon stepped in and shut the door behind him. It was an expensively furnished penthouse apartment.

"Angela," he called out as he stepped into the living room.

"What do you want, Simon," she barked, entering the living room from the bedroom. She was nearly fifty-nine years old, but she was just as beautiful as she had been fourteen years earlier when she picked Nat up from that group home. She wore a night gown and bathrobe and had her long gray hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"Your Nathaniel has grown tired of watching me from a distance," Simon announced.

"Nathaniel?" Angela whispered and sat on the sofa.

"Tell me about the sword," Simon demanded.

"I have already told you—" Angela started.

Simon grabbed her by the throat and lifted her to her feet. "Don't toy with me human. I have allowed you to live because of your usefulness. It would benefit you to remain useful," he warned.

"Alright," Angela said, struggling to breathe.

Simon released her and she choked and gasped as she caught her breath. "Tell me about the sword," he said calmly.

Angela explained, "It's said to be crafted by the chosen of God's angels, Gabriel." Simon stated, "And it has the kind of power that can turn any able warrior into a king among men."

"Yes," she nodded. "But the sword is not meant to belong to man. It belongs to the Host of Heaven. The sword contains a message that initiates the Host's mission upon contact."

Simon frowned. "And how will your Nathaniel find the Host to deliver this message?"

"Fate," Angela declared. "He will meet the Host when it is meant for him to meet the Host."

"And what if I kill him first," Simon taunted.

Angela firmly responded, "Nathaniel will not die before he has fulfilled his destiny."

"You're right," Simon smirked. "I will wait for him to deliver the message and then I will kill him and send your so-called Host back into hibernation for another two hundred years."

"Fate will reveal what is to come," Angela said.

Simon laughed sinisterly, "For now fate says you will remain alive and continue to live here as my prisoner."

Simon turned and walked out the apartment. Angela sat on the sofa and silently prayed for Nat's safety. It had been six years since she last saw him. Nat was fifteen then, and had spent a mere nine years under Angela and Todd's tutelage, but had already completed most of his training.

"He'll be fine," she whispered, remembering how quickly Nat had learned the ways of the Order of Light.

### Chapter Six

Six years earlier, the sun shined directly above the James Estate. Todd and a then fifteen- year-old Nat stood shirtless behind the mansion surrounded by several acres of manicured lawn. They each held a bamboo carved sword. Angela walked out the mansion wearing a bikini. She eyed their swords and adjusted her bikini top before sitting in a beach chair about five feet away from them. Nat flexed his bare chest, winked at Angela, and then raised his sword while inching toward Todd.

Angela winced as Todd and Nat squared off like a couple of cowboys at high noon. "Be careful!" she pleaded.

Todd looked into his young protégé's eyes and raised his sword. Pride filled Todd's heart as he scanned Nat's athletic, five-foot, seven-inch frame. The boy had become a man-child, and Todd found no fear in his eyes as they inched toward each other.

Todd rested his sword against Nat's sword and told him, "She's scared I'm going to hurt you."

"She's worried about you," Nat grunted while stepping back and swinging his sword downward.

Todd quickly swung his sword counter-clockwise until it met Nat's sword in front of their shins. "A wasted move young—"

Before Todd could finish his sentence, Nat heaved his sword above his head and sent it slicing down at Todd's left shoulder. Instead of meeting Todd's flesh, it smacked against Todd's sword as Todd swept it upward. Nat attempted to pull back for another attack, but a kick to the stomach sent him tumbling onto his back.

Angela jumped to her feet. "That's enough!"

"I'm alright," Nat assured Angela while hopping to his feet. He twirled the weapon around his body with one hand to show off his swordsmanship and then gripped it with both hands and cautiously inched toward Todd.

Angela reluctantly sat back down. She had seen Todd and Nat practice on many occasions, but never without armor. She thought about the bruises the bamboo had left on Nat's armor-covered body and imagined what would happen without the protection.

Todd snickered. "Maybe you should let Angela fight for you," he teased when their touched swords.

Nat chuckled, "I'm sure you'd rather that."

Todd responded by launching his sword at Nat's face. Nat leaned back in the nick of time and quickly raised his sword, blocking Todd's sword from crashing into his neck.

"Come on Todd," Nat said while swinging his sword downward to defend against an incoming thrust to his stomach. "It's only right that you're afraid of me," he took a swing at Todd's neck, but Todd blocked it and spun around and smashed his sword against Nat's left arm. Nat shook off the pain and gasped, "I'm faster—"

"Yeah," Todd grunted and sliced his sword down at the left side of Nat's body.

Nat gracefully weaved out of harm's way. "I'm younger," Nat announced, leaning right and then left as Todd left off a fury of downward swings. Nat didn't bother to raise his sword; he simply held it at his side and slipped one swing after another. "And let's not forget better looking," he completed his taunt with a confident grin.

Frustrated, Todd went into his signature move. He brought his sword down on the right side of Nat's body, pretended to launch into another swing to Nat's left, and plunged forward with his left elbow as Nat attempted to lean right. But Nat faked right and lifted his sword as he turned three hundred and sixty degrees to his left. Nat's move was perfectly timed. He had been waiting for Todd to attempt the one maneuver that had defeated him every time they had sparred. Only this time instead of Nat being hit in the chin by Todd's elbow, or Nat dipping right into a deadly blow from Todd's sword, Nat smiled when his spin move ended with the sound of his sword smashing against the back of Todd's neck.

"Death blow!" Nat yelled victoriously and dropped his sword with a grin.

Nat then jumped up and down. The only thing he had enjoyed more than combat training was the driving lessons Todd gave him, and now he had earned his first victory against Todd.

Todd lowered his sword and turned to Angela. "He's ready."

Angela slowly stood and nodded. "It's time."

Todd and Angela had already told Nat all about the demons that crossed over to earth and the Order of Light. Although Nat had brushed it off as fairy tales, he actually enjoyed the stories about God, the devil, rogue demons, the Order of Light, and the warrior Host of Heaven. Todd and Angela were about to make those fairy tales a reality.

***

A few nights after Nat had defeated Todd in the sparing match, Todd and Angela had him stay back after dinner. Nat stood by and watched as they moved the dining room table and opened a hidden door in the floor that led to a stone-walled secret room. The hair on the back of Nat's neck stood as he followed them down into the candle-lit, dirt-floored room, which was basically empty except for a dozen rough cut, baseball-size crystals arranged in a circle on the floor and the Host's sword hanging sheathed on a wall. It had been the first time Nat laid eyes on the sword.

Todd grabbed the sword and unsheathed it, "This is the Host's sword."

Nat's eyes grew wide with amazement as he studied the sword's blade. It suddenly dawned on Nat that the stories could be true.

Angela rested her hand on Nat's shoulder and said, "We told you that your mother was a member of the Order of Light, but there's something we didn't tell you."

"What?" Nat asked, eyeing the sword.

"Where's the crystal you got from your mother?" Angela inquired. Nat pulled the crystal from his pocket and handed it to her. She sat the crystal on the floor in the center of the circle and told Nat, "We didn't tell you that your mother had trapped her murderer in this crystal before she died."

Nat didn't believe it. "What do you mean?"

Todd said, "We told you about capturing rogue demons. Your mother used her crystal to capture a demon before she died."

Nat's eyes narrowed. "A real demon?"

Angela stood just outside the circle and chanted, "Come forth from the light demon!"

Nat couldn't believe his eyes when a red smoke oozed from his crystal and spun in a small tornado within the circle. The smoke swirled faster and faster and then disappeared, leaving what appeared to be a man standing in the circle. Nat looked closer at the man and saw that his eyeballs were completely black and he had extremely sharp teeth. Nat realized it was not a man but a demon that stood before him. The demon snarled and attempted to lunge at Angela, but the circle emitted an invisible force field that kept him inside the circle.

"Release me!" the demon barked in a demonic voice.

Nat approached the circle. "You killed my mother!"

"Release me," the demon demanded. "And I will kill you too."

Todd held the sword out and approached the circle. "I'll release you all right," he told the demon.

The demon laughed. "You may annihilate me, but Simon will annihilate the entire Order of Light."

Todd swung the sword and severed the demon's head. The demon's body burst into flames and disintegrated.

Nat looked into Angela's eyes and asked, "Who's Simon?"

"The devil's son," Angela replied flatly.

Todd and Angela spent the next few hours telling Nat about Simon's war against the Order of Light and the coming of the Host. Nat went to bed that night and dreamed about the Host, and he woke up the next morning eager to learn more. He bombarded Angela and Todd with questions over breakfast the next morning.

"Who is the Host?" he asked as they sat at the dining room table.

Angela explained, "The Host is a gift from God to Humanity. The Host's purpose is to thwart the plans of the devil and his vicegerents. The Host will emerge to restore the hope of humanity."

Todd said, "The Will of God will lead the Host to the sword in its 23rd year on earth."

"It?" Nat asked with a raised brow.

"Well," Angela said. "It takes human form, but it's human and angelic."

Nat looked confused. "Where is it now?"

Angela answered, "Could've been born as a human yesterday, or could be born tomorrow. We only know it will present itself to the sword."

Todd added, "The Host must live among humans for twenty-three years with no knowledge of its true identity. It must learn the ways of man, the good and the bad."

Angela said, "It is said it possesses a spirit of light, a spirit of fire, and a spirit of man. The sword carries a message that awakens its spirits of fire and light and initiates a process called consecration, in which all three of the spirits become one. It is then that it becomes the Host."

Todd explained, "The Host is an agent of destruction and judgment, the giver of protection and deliverance. That is what the Host shall do. All of the above in the name of the Lord of Humanity."

Nat's eyes filled with awe. "I hope I get to see the Host."

Angela cut her eyes at Todd before she told Nat, "You are the protector of the Host's sword. You shall present the sword to the Host and ensure that it is consecrated. That is your destiny."

Nat sat there in disbelief quietly taking it all in.

Todd nodded, "That is what we have been training you for," he confessed. "The Host will need you. There's a period after consecration called the Calm of Transformation. It's a period where the Host is highly vulnerable."

"You must protect the Host during this period," Angela informed Nat.

Nat suddenly felt the world on his shoulders and questioned whether he was worthy of the task. "What if I fail?"

"You won't," Todd assured. "We will teach you to wield the sword and show you how to capture demons with the crystal."

***

Young Nat had spent the next few months learning to use his mother's crystal, but then his training came to an unfortunate halt one night when Angela rushed into his room and woke him up.

"Hurry," she said frantically.

"What's wrong?" Nat asked.

Angela grabbed Nat's crystal off his dresser and pulled him from the bed and dragged him out the room and down to the dining room where Todd waited with a shotgun. The dining room table was moved and the door to the secret room was open.

Todd told Nat, "Go down there and don't come up until we say so."

"What's wrong?" Nat pleaded.

Todd pushed Nat toward the secret room. "Just go down there."

Angela said, "Just do it."

Water filled Nat's eyes. "Okay."

Angela hugged Nat tight, kissed him on the forehead, and then handed him his crystal. "Go!" she cried. "And no matter what happens, don't come out."

Nat sadly climbed into the candle-lit room and looked into Angela and Todd's eyes as they shut the door above him. A single tear rolled down Nat's cheek as he heard the table being moved up above to conceal the room's door. The crystals lay forming the circle on the floor, the sword hung sheathed on the wall, and a box sat on the floor directly behind Nat, but Nat kept his eyes glued to the door for a few minutes. When he finally turned around, he noticed the box and picked it up. Inside the box he found stock certificates, bonds, access codes to over a dozen back accounts, and a letter with instructions on what to do and where to go in the case of an emergency.

Shots rang out above and Nat dropped the box. There was the sound of footsteps rushing in and out the dining room. Nat quickly grabbed the sword, unsheathed it, and headed for the door, but stopped. He remembered Angela's order for him to stay in the room. He stood there waiting. Three hours passed before he slowly pushed the secret door open and peeked out. The table and chairs blocked his view. He slowly squeezed out the room without completely opening the door and then crawled out from under the table. There were no signs of a struggle in the dining room. He walked into the living room and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Todd's lifeless body lying on the floor.

"Angela," he yelled out.

There was no answer.

"Angela," he yelled out again and again, running through the house.

He searched every room and found no sign of Angela. He then grabbed a duffle bag from a closet and headed back into the secret room. He struggled to fight back tears as he filled the bag with the crystals, grabbed the sword, and tossed the box in the bag. Tears flooded his face as he lugged the bag and sword out the secret room. He walked through the living room without looking at Todd's body and swiped a set of car keys from a table near the front door.

"This is my destiny," he muttered and then walked out.

He sighed when he saw the Lincoln parked out front. He was now certain that Angela hadn't left on her own. He tossed the duffle bag and the sword in the back seat and then climbed behind the wheel. He pulled off determined not to let Todd and Angela down. He vowed to present the sword to the Host and to protect the Host during the Calm of Transformation. He would wait for the Host to find him, but in the mean time he would gather as much intelligence on Simon's organization as possible, and that's what he had done for the next six years. Mostly to assist the Host, but also because he knew Simon had something to do with Todd's murder and Angela's disappearance. A part of him hoped investigating Simon would lead him to Angela.

Chapter Seven

After leaving Angela, Simon went down to his office on the third floor, where Stacy and Tracy awaited him. It was more like a war room than an office. The wall to the left was covered with a high-powered computer server. A huge desk sat in the center of the room flanked by two smaller desks, each of which had a multi-line phone and a computer keyboard that was connected to the server. The desks faced the wall to the right of the entrance, which was covered with four wall-mounted plasma screens that functioned as TV and computer screens. The twins met Simon at the door as soon as he entered.

"If Tess is free," Simon said. "She'll need to quench her thirst. You know Tess; sex, food, and shopping. Let's get some eyes on her old stomping grounds."

Stacy giggled. "If we're lucky, she'll sex, eat, and spend Saleena back to hell."

***

Saleena, Izzy, and Tess sat in their living room mapping out a strategy for going at Simon. Tess listened attentively as Izzy and Saleena detailed an outline for their plan, and then frowned and stood.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Tess sighed.

Izzy said, "We have over a million dollars and enough weapons to take out a small army. We start from the bottom and knock them off one by one. We can start with his drug operations. Kill his distributors, steal his product, and take his customers."

Tess giggled condescendingly. "So you're going to steal all of Simon's customers and take over his drug business?"

"Right," Saleena nodded.

Tess slapped her thigh. "You can't be serious."

Izzy frowned. "What's wrong with our plan?"

Tess inhaled and shook her head. "Simon distributes hundreds of thousands of kilos of all kinds of drugs all over the world each year. But drugs are only a fifth of his business. He controls a large part of the black market for everything from guns to knock-off clothes. His customers are distributors and they would never deal with you."

"Why not?" Saleena asked defensively.

"Because the major movers and shakers who deal with Simon's organization are humans who fear Simon like he's God," Tess explained. "Simon has about a hundred demons in his organization, and they're all enforcers. They deal with the humans who get out of line. Even if we killed all of Simon's demon minions, his human network would keep his business running. As long as there are corrupt humans, Simon's organization will thrive."

Saleena exhaled in frustration. "There has to be a way to attack his organization."

Tess nodded. "There is."

Izzy said, "But you said—"

Tess cut in, "—your plan won't work. Mine will."

"And what's your plan?" Saleena asked eagerly.

Tess slowly sat. "All the humans working for Simon have damned souls, which means they're on Izzy' s list, which means they're vulnerable to demon possession when they die."

Izzy frowned. "And?"

"You know the difference between a rogue demon and us?" Tess quizzed.

Saleena answered, "We cross over and appear in the flesh. A rogue demon needs to possess the body of a human to cross over."

"Exactly," Tess nodded. "We kill a human on Izzy's list who works for Simon, and a rogue demon will possess that human's body."

"How does that help us?" Izzy asked, lost.

Tess looked annoyed. "When a rogue possesses a human's body, he knows everything that human knows. The connection between demon and human occurs in the brain. We kill all the high-ranking humans in Simon's organization and turn them into rogue demons who answer to us."

Izzy thought about it for a minute and then reminded, "Yeah, but rogue demons are rogue demons. How are we going to get them to work for us?"

Tess looked at Saleena. "Technically rogue demons still exist in the realm of hell. They're just peeking at this realm through the vessel of a human's body. And if they still belong to hell, they're still bound to the authorities of hell, which means—"

Izzy blurted out, "They have to obey Saleena."

Tess smiled. "We don't need to destroy Simon's organization. We can steal his organization out from under him."

Saleena added, "And transform his human network into our own personal army of rogue demons in the process."

Izzy cracked his knuckles. "Where do we start?"

A sly grin cut across Tess's face. "We need to go shopping."

"Shopping?" Izzy asked.

Tess said, "Yeah, Simon knows me well, he'll have some low level humans looking out for me based on my habits. So, we'll draw one of those humans out, capture him, and work our way up the chain of command."

Saleena pointed out, "We still need to get IDs."

"We can do that after we go shopping," Tess suggested. "It's time to go to New York and spend some money."

***

Lamont woke up in his bed the same way he woke up every day, with a beautiful woman lying on his chest. His latest conquest had been somewhat of a disappointment. She stood five- foot-ten with a body to die for, but she was a bore in bed. Lamont couldn't wait to get her out of his place. He contemplated waiting for her to wake up, but then he roughly rolled her off of him.

"What time is it?" she asked, stirring awake.

"Almost two in the afternoon," he said and climbed out of bed.

She wiped cold from her eyes and sat up. "You want to take a shower?"

Lamont collected her dress and high heels off the floor and tossed them to her. "No, I want you to leave."

She sucked her teeth, stood, and slipped into her dress. "Somebody's not a morning person."

"And somebody's whack in bed," he snapped.

She giggled and slipped on her heels. "You weren't too good yourself."

She walked out the bedroom and headed to the front door with Lamont behind her. "You don't need to see me out," she told him.

Lamont chuckled. "I'm not. I'm making sure you don't steal anything."

Lamont opened the door and led her out into the hallway.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be a prick about it."

Just then Nat stepped off the elevator carrying the sword. The woman shoved her way past Nat and got onto the elevator. Nat watched the elevator doors close and turned his attention to Lamont. "That didn't look like it went well," Nat joked.

Lamont laughed. "Same crap, different day."

Nat headed to the apartment door directly across from Lamont's apartment.

"Hey," Lamont said. "I'm having this party at a club this weekend. You have to come."

Nat hesitated to respond, and Lamont said, "Come on man. You've been living across from me for more than a year." He eyed the sword. "Give the weekend fantasy role play a rest and come play with me."

"We'll see," Nat said and turned to go into his apartment.

"Look, take a few days. Don't think about it, just let fate drive you to my party."

Nat turned back to Lamont. "What did you say?"

"I said don't think about it, just do it," Lamont said.

Nat shook his head. "No, that other thing you said."

Lamont shrugged. "I said let fate drive you to my party."

Nat nodded. "I'll be there."

"And so will the lovely ladies," Lamont promised before stepping back into his apartment and closing the door.

Nat entered his apartment, tossed the sword on the sofa, and headed in his bedroom and pulled the duffle bag full of baseball-size crystals from under his bed. He took the bag into the kitchen, moved the kitchen table, and then arranged the crystals in a circle on the floor in the middle of the room.

"Here we go," he said and pulled the crystal from his pocket.

He put the crystal in the middle of the circle and said, "Come forth from the—"

He stopped, hurried into the living room and grabbed the sword, and then went back into the kitchen. He unsheathed the sword and said, "Come forth from the light, demon."

A red smoke oozed from his crystal and swirled around like a tornado within the circle. Nat watched as the smoke cleared, revealing a healthy looking Charles standing in the circle.

Charles held his hands out and admired his newly restored skin. "As much as I hated being trapped in that crystal, I should be thanking you for restoring my skin."

"Who are you?" Nat asked.

Charles snickered. "That's not what you need to know."

Nat's eyes acknowledged Charles' point. "Who did that to you? Simon?"

"No." Charles muttered. "His sister, Saleena."

"Sister?" Nat repeated with a raised brow.

Charles sighed. "Unfortunately yes. She and some reaper plan on taking over Simon's spot as the head demon in charge here on earth."

"That doesn't make sense," Nat spat.

"What doesn't make sense is you having me trapped in this kitchen," Charles complained. "Why don't you do me a favor and put a bullet in my head so I can go back to hell."

Nat eyed Charles suspiciously. "You want to go back to hell?"

Charles shrugged. "My work here is finished, so yeah."

Nat scratched his chin. "Your work here. What work?"

Charles shook his head and exhaled. "All right with the million questions."

Nat raised his sword. "What work?"

Charles raised his hand in surrender. "Every night, I tortured a demon named Tess for Simon."

"You killed her?" Nat asked.

"No," Charles said with disappointment. "Saleena and her reaper attacked me and freed Tess. So are you going to send me back to hell or what?"

"I was going to annihilate you," Nat admitted. "But you tell me everything you know about Simon's organization and I'll send you back to hell."

"Sorry," Charles exhaled. "You're barking up the wrong tree. Simon lets us demons live like kings, but we're really just enforcers. The humans are the key to his organization."

"Fine," Nat said. "Tell me everything you know about the top-ranking humans in the organization."

Charles shrugged submissively. "I can give you several names and addresses."

"Good," Nat nodded.

Nat got a pen and pad from a kitchen drawer and wrote down the names and addresses as Charles dictated. There were ten names in all.

Okay," Charles said after providing the information. "Now how about that bullet to the head?"

Nat pointed to the tear-drop shaped crystal sitting on the floor inside the circle. "Pass me that."

Charles picked it up and tossed it to Nat.

"I'm going to put a bullet in your head," Nat promised. "But not yet. I need to keep you around for a while."

"We had a deal," Charles reminded. "I thought you Order of Light humans were supposed to be trustworthy."

"We are," Nat assured. "I'm going to send you back to hell, just not right now."

Nat held the crystal above his head and summoned Charles back into the crystal. Then he put the crystal in his pocket and eyed the list of names. "Who should I visit first?" he said to himself.

Chapter Eight

It was almost sunset on a Monday evening when Izzy, Tess, and Saleena checked into a suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. They walked into the one-bedroom suite with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a backpack with a half million dollars in it. Izzy tossed the backpack on the floor and Tess grabbed it and filled her coat pockets with fifty grand.

"All right," Tess instructed like a school teacher. "Stay in the room. I'll be back in the morning."

"What?" Saleena asked.

"I have some people I need to see, we'll go shopping in the morning," Tess insisted.

"Why can't we go with you," Izzy questioned.

Tess rolled her eyes annoyed. "If we're going to draw out Simon's people, I have to revisit my old routines. That includes meeting with some of my old contacts. Those contacts won't play if I'm not alone."

Saleena and Izzy looked at each other and shrugged while Tess grabbed the phone and ordered a limousine. After hanging up, Tess told them, "Order room service. Eat, make love, have a good time. Enjoy each other." Tess turned and walked out before they could respond, and neither Saleena nor Izzy caught the contempt hidden away in her tone.

Saleena threw her arms around Izzy's neck and kissed him on the lips. "I think we should follow her advice."

***

Tess had the driver take her to several shops and boutiques until she found one she liked. It was a small up-close and cozy spot where the owner catered to her personally. She dropped three grand on two pieces of Victoria Secret lingerie, eight grand on a black waist-length mink coat, four grand on a black Gucci dress with spaghetti straps, two grand on a pair of black four- inch heeled Gucci shoes, and two grand on a Gucci handbag. Tess was happy to learn the owner was also a personal stylist. She changed into her nineteen thousand dollar ensemble in the dressing room and made an appointment with the owner to return the next day with Izzy and Saleena.

Tess walked out the boutique looking like a movie star. She hopped in the back of the limo and told the driver, "Take me to Atlantic City."

"Anywhere in particular?" the driver asked.

"The Taj Mahal," she announced and leaned her head back.

She thought about Izzy and Saleena and frowned. It wasn't that she didn't like them, because she did—in her own way. She just hated the idea of what they shared. They had fallen in love and had the courage to do what it took to be together—and for that she envied them, and a demon's envy always bordered on a destructive hatred. Still, she kind of liked being around them, and she hoped the trip to Atlantic City would get a monkey off her back so she could enjoy their company as long as it took to knock Simon off his high horse.

***

The lobby of Trump's Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino was fairly empty. There wasn't much going on a Monday night in the dead of winter. Tess walked through the revolving door and strutted over to the receptionist desk like she owned the place.

"Can I help you?" the lady behind the desk asked.

"I need the Hostess," Tess said dismissively.

"And who shall I say is requesting her?" the receptionist asked, grabbing the phone. "Tess Moss," Tess announced.

Tess watched as the receptionist called the hostess and relayed the request. A smile cut across the receptionist's face before she hung up, and she happily told Tess, "Ms. Smith will be with you shortly."

Less than a minute passed before Tarsha Smith stepped off an elevator. Her high-heels clicked against the floor as she hurried to the reception desk to greet Tess. She wore a black evening dress that accented her long legs. She stood a statuesque five-foot-eleven with high cheek bones, full lips, and pearly white teeth. Her eyes bounced with youthfulness, but the wrinkles forming around her eyes and her heavy-handed makeup broadcasted that she was ten years past her prime.

"My Tess!" Tarsha squealed like she'd seen a childhood friend for the first time in ten years.

"Hey Tarsha," Tess said and embraced her.

Tarsha held onto Tess' hands and stepped back to get a good look at her. "Look at you, you haven't aged a single day in over ten years."

"It's in the genes," Tess joked.

"Girl, where have you been?" Tarsha asked with a raised brow.

"Chained up in a basement somewhere getting tortured," Tess stated bluntly.

Tarsha laughed and waved Tess' story off. "You still so silly."

"So," Tess said. "Am I still in the preferred customer's club?"

"Of course," Tarsha assured. "You're a lifetime member."

Tarsha went behind the reception desk and typed something into the computer. Then she grabbed an electronic key from a drawer and passed it to Tess. "I got you the best suite in the house." She turned to the receptionist and told her, "If you need me, hit me on my mobile."

Tarsha took Tess to her room. The room was top of the line like Tarsha promised. There was a big screen plasma TV and a fully-stocked bar in the living room; and a Jacuzzi in the bedroom. They sat on the living room sofa, and Tarsha bit her bottom lip and stared at Tess skeptically.

"We thought you were dead," Tarsha said.

Tension filled the air.

"I'm not," Tess pointed out. "I'm alive and well."

Tarsha frowned. "Your husband has held us hostage since you've been gone, working us like slaves."

"Oh," Tess said absent mindedly. "You're working with him?"

"For him," Tarsha corrected. "We tried to break the little business arrangement we had made with you, being that you were gone, but he made it clear that we are basically stuck for life. Greg thought maybe he found out about—"

"How is Greg?" Tess asked anxiously.

Tarsha shook her head. "He's not that twenty-one-year-old kid anymore. He was a little disgruntled with the situation you left us in, but he survived. We survived."

Tess nonchalantly said, "But you're making money right?"

Tarsha snapped, "You're husband is a tyrant! It's not just distributing drugs anymore. He always has an errand for us to run, pick this up, drop this off. It's like we're on call twenty-four seven. Then he's always got these creepy boys with him, and he has a serious problem with putting his hands on people. He better be lucky he travels with a mini army. It's like you sold us into slavery!"

"Calm down," Tess warned. "I'm sorry I put ya'll out there like that, but there was stuff going on with me and my people that you couldn't begin to understand. Things are still not straightened out yet. In fact, you can't even tell my husband you saw me. I don't expect you to understand what I'm going through, but you're the closet thing I have to a friend on this entire planet. Instead of focusing on how I left you, try to focus on how messed up you and your brother were when I found you. You'd be living like bums if it wasn't for me. Don't forget that!"

Tarsha lowered her head in shame. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Tess said and hugged Tarsha. "Just do me a favor and let Greg know I'm here. I'll be down at the Blackjack tables."

"I'll do that," Tarsha promised and left the room.

***

Music blared from the cherry red Porsche as Greg Smith maneuvered into the valet parking lane of the Taj Mahal. He got out the car, leaving the engine running and the music playing. He stood at six-two with broad shoulders and a baldhead that highlighted his thick eyebrows.

Greg nodded at an approaching valet parker and told him, "Don't readjust my seat."

The valet handed Greg a ticket. "Come on Greg, you keep telling me the same bull. Your baldheaded ass is like six-four. I'm only five-seven. If I don't move up your seat, I'll mess around and crash your whip," he said and hopped in the car and pulled off.

Greg laughed and tossed the ticket into his back pocket and headed into hotel. Butterflies filled his stomach as he stepped into the lobby. He hadn't seen Tess in over ten years and he didn't know what to expect. He still couldn't believe the call he had received from Tarsha telling him Tess was at the hotel. He remembered waiting for Tess in the lobby ten years earlier. He had been expecting her to deliver seventy kilos of cocaine but she never showed up.

Tess' little no-show had caused Greg a lifetime of problems. He had more than ten hustlers from all over the East Coast checked into rooms throughout the Taj, and they had all been expecting to receive a shipment of cocaine in the comfort of their rooms before being whisked away by complimentary limousines. The no-hassle distribution service had worked successfully for more than two years, and then Tess just up and disappeared, leaving Greg and Tarsha to deal with the group of disgruntled customers. Tess had put the entire operation at risk. She had been their main supplier. Not to mention their mentor. Greg had been nothing more than a nineteen-year-old two-bit hustler when Tess found him on a street corner and transformed him and his then waitress-of-a-sister Tarsha into major cocaine distributors. With the service in the balance, and worried to death about Tess, Greg and Tarsha did the only thing they could: they reached out to Tess' so-called husband.

Tess had told them very little about her husband, but she made it clear that he was also her business partner and her benefactor. They figured he would know where she was or at least be able to supply them with what they needed to serve the customers they had waiting. They had been under his iron fist ever since. Once Greg had gotten to see how Tess' husband operated, he was certain that he had knocked Tess off and made her disappear to take over everything for himself. Learning that Tess was alive and well gave Greg mixed feelings. On the one hand he resented Tess for leaving him and Tarsha for dead. On the other hand he knew he would've still been struggling for peanuts on street corners had she not found him. But his real gripe concerned their personal relationship. They had spent every weekend together for two years, and Greg had gotten emotionally attached. He and Tess had agreed they would share nothing but sex, but her disappearance had revealed that he had unconsciously broken their agreement. Now he headed into the Taj Mahal unsure of what to say to her.

He spotted Tarsha standing near the reception desk and walked over to her.

"What you do, fly here?" Tarsha teased.

"Where is she?" Greg asked seriously.

"On the casino floor playing Blackjack," she informed him.

"Of course," Greg muttered and walked off.

The casino floor was empty and it didn't take long for Greg to locate Tess. He spotted her across the room sitting at a Blackjack table with a stack of chips in front of her. He took a deep breath and put his game face on before working his way across the floor, approaching her from behind.

Tess felt his presence as he walked up behind her and didn't bother turning around. "I didn't think you were going to show."

Greg sat beside her. "I could say the same for you."

Tess bet all her chips on one hand and lost. "I thought you would bring me fortune," she told Greg. "Oh well," she exhaled. "Are you coming up to my room or what?"

Greg shot her a look of disgust. "Why should I?"

Tess roughly grabbed his crotch. "Because this bulge popped up the moment you laid eyes on me." She licked her lips. "I told you from the beginning; it's all fun and games with me. No devotion. No commitment. No feelings. Fun, games, and plenty of wild sex."

Greg cut his eyes at the dealer before he responded, "You're a cold hearted bitch."

Tess squeezed his crotch. "You still game, or not?"

"What you think?" he chuckled.

Ten minutes later, Greg and Tess stood upstairs in the bedroom stark naked. Greg sat on the floor beside her and rubbed her shoulders. "Why did you drop out of sight like that?" he whispered.

Tess looked into his eyes. "All you need to know is I'm here now. I can't even promise how long that's going to last, but that's the nature of the game. This is the fast life, baby. You gotta take it while you can get it, and don't shed no tears when you ain't got it. Man up! You riding or not?"

Greg had to laugh. "You're really back, huh?"

She kissed him and slowly lowered to the floor.

Chapter Nine

The next morning Tess sat in the back of the limousine and smiled as it pulled away from the Taj Mahal. The visit had been a success. She took care of a ten-year itch that only Greg could scratch and she got to see Tarsha. And she did that without being spotted.

"I'm back," she said to herself.

She felt rejuvenated. She spent the entire ride back to New York thinking about what she would buy. She had shown Saleena and Izzy the joy of sex and food, now she was determined to introduce them to the ecstasy of shopping. It wasn't just about buying herself stuff either. She couldn't wait to buy some fly threads for Izzy. She loved looking at a well dressed and accessorized man. She imagined him wearing Prada, Armani, Gucci, and a nice ring and watch. A wave of excitement swept over her when the limo pulled up to the Plaza Hotel. She understood how fickle a demon's life could be on earth. She also knew Saleena and Izzy's plan had little to no chance of being successful. They were in way over their heads and didn't know it. Still, her escapade with Greg had extinguished her envy and she openly embraced the idea that she liked the renegade couple, as much as someone like her was capable of liking them. She went up to their hotel room and knocked on the door looking forward to showing them a good time before things hit the fan.

Saleena answered the door fully naked. "Hey you," she greeted.

Tess walked in the room and stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. Izzy sat on the edge of the bed naked eating steak from a plate. The entire bed was covered with plates of half- eaten food and so was the floor. There were even plates of half-eaten food in the bathroom.

"What the hell did you do?" Tess asked.

Saleena shrugged. "You said eat, so we've been trying everything on the menu."

Izzy eyed Tess' mink. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Tess told him. "We've got an appointment at one."

Saleena nodded. "I thought we were going shopping?"

"We are," Tess replied. "I've been out of the fashion loop for ten years. I made an appointment with a stylist who owns a boutique; she's going to pick out some clothes for us."

Izzy bit his steak. "This is good."

Tess sat beside Izzy and snatched a piece of steak from his plate and ate it. "It is good." She grabbed a half-eaten plate off the bed and dug in. "No use letting it go to waste."

***

Nat was sound asleep in his bed when someone frantically rang his doorbell. He jumped out of bed and hurried to the door in nothing but his boxers.

"Hold up," he yelled and swung the door open.

Nat frowned at the sight of Lamont standing in the hall in his bathrobe and slippers.

"What's up?" Lamont said with a grin. "Were you sleep?"

"Yes," Nat snapped.

Lamont boldly nudged Nat aside and walked in. "Just kicked a honey out my house. I figured I'd drop by and holla at you."

Nat shut the door and shook his head. "About what?"

Lamont sat on the couch. "I'm going to see my stylist later today, and I was wondering if you'd like to tag along."

Nat looked at Lamont like he was crazy. "Stylist?"

"Look," Lamont said condescendingly. "I own the building, so I've seen your financial situation on your lease application. You're a trust fund baby like me. You got the means. You need to live a little. Stop living in this shell like a turtle."

"I don't—" Nat started.

Lamont cut in, "Your clothes are so last season. My stylist will take care of you."

Nat protested, "I don't need—"

"It's settled. Wash your ass, get dressed, and I'll pick you up in an hour," Lamont pronounced and strolled out the apartment.

"Fate," Nat muttered and went into his bedroom.

Nat had spent the last six years as an introvert. He had intentionally avoided making any friends. He had a mission and a purpose, and that didn't involve personal relationships. It wasn't until his encounter with Lamont in the hall that he considered the possibility that his anti-social behavior had prevented him from creating an opportunity for the Host to present itself. He suddenly realized that if the Host was living among mankind and learning the ways of mankind, he had better start living among mankind too. Not to mention he didn't believe in coincidences, and found it no coincidence that Lamont just happened to invite him to a party on the same day he captured his first demon.

He hopped in the shower confident that his new found friend had entered his life for a reason. The hard part would be putting up with Lamont's obnoxious ways until that reason revealed itself. In the meantime, Nat would play nice and kill time with Lamont while he checked up on the list of names he got from Charles.

***

Izzy and Saleena cleaned up the room and hopped in the shower while Tess ran out to get them some clothes to wear for the day. They were just getting out the shower when Tess returned with several Macy's bags.

"It's off the rack," Tess said and dropped the bags on the bed. "But it'll do for now. Polo Ralph Lauren is always a safe bet."

Tess had bought them each a complete Polo ensemble, including Polo down winter jackets.

Saleena dressed and then posed like a model. "How do I look?" she asked Tess.

"Regular," Tess spat with her nose turned up. "But that'll change after we meet with the stylist."

***

It was a little past noon when Lamont and Nat's limousine pulled onto University Place in the Westside of Manhattan Village. They pulled up in front of a small boutique where a short, pretty, petite lady stood outside with her arms folded across her chest looking upset.

The young lady's sepia, catlike, slanted eyes narrowed as Lamont and Nat climbed out the limo. "You're an hour late," she complained.

"I'm so sorry Sheba," Lamont said and attempted to hug her.

Sheba knocked his arms away. "You always do this to me!"

"Play nice," Lamont teased. "Don't embarrass me in front of my boy."

Sheba cut her eyes at Nat. "He's late too," she snapped.

Nat held up his hands in protest. "I didn't even know—"

"Save it," she waved Nat off.

Lamont playfully wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. "You know I need you Sheba," he pleaded.

Sheba laughed and broke away from his embrace. "Boy stop." She pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the boutique's door. "We have to make this quick because I have an appointment with a new client at one."

She led them inside. The place was pretty small. It was cluttered with clothing racks filled with designer labels. A variety of designer shoes hung on display on the wall to the right and a variety of expensive designer handbags hung on a display on the wall to the left. The racks on the right side of the room were filled with men's clothes and the racks on the left side of the room were filled with women's clothes.

Sheba led them to the right side of the room and pointed at a rack. "Armani here." She pointed to another rack. "Dolce & Gabana there." She pointed to another rack. "Tom Ford and Andrew Marc here." Then she stopped at a rack of suits. "Prada here."

"Any suggestions?" Lamont asked.

Sheba walked over to the rack with Tom Ford and Andrew Marc. "All my pieces are select, but these are very select." She looked at Lamont and told him, "For you, Tom Ford." She pulled a dark blue knit sweater and a pair of jeans from the rack and handed them to Lamont.

Lamont eyed the clothes and smiled. "This is why I pay you the big bucks."

Sheba sized Nat up, lingering at his eyes for a moment, and then ran from rack to rack snatching different items. She grabbed a Dolce & Gabana flannel-looking shirt, a pair of Bottega Veneta jeans, and a sporty-looking cap by Christy's London.

"Here you go," she told Nat as she handed him the outfit. "You'll look great in this."

Nat reluctantly took the clothes. "Thanks, but I—"

"Wait," Sheba shouted like something was wrong and then ran into a back room.

Lamont watched her disappear and then told Nat, "She likes you."

Nat was caught off guard. "What?"

"She likes you," Lamont maintained. "I can tell."

"You're crazy," Nat whispered. "She's just doing her—"

Sheba hurried back with a dark blue English duffle coat. "It's by Gloverall," she told Nat girlishly. "You can get it off rack at Barneys, but I think it would really look good on you."

"Thanks," Nat nodded.

Their hands brushed as Sheba handed Nat the coat, and her heart skipped a beat at his touch. It was the strangest thing she had ever felt. She got caught up in his eyes for few seconds and then shook it off. "Okay, so you're all set for the big party."

"Not yet," Lamont said.

Sheba exhaled, "What else do you need, Lamont?"

Lamont patted Nat on the shoulder. "My friend here needs a date."

She eyed Nat with feigned suspicion. "I thought women had to come alone to your parties so you can get the pick of the litter," she reminded Lamont.

"Yeah," Lamont nodded. "But Nat here's a square. I had to force him to agree to come. I can't have him moping around ruining the vibe. So I figure you're a square," Lamont stopped and turned to Nat. "She's a real square too. I've been trying to bang her for years, but nothing."

"Excuse me," Sheba snapped.

"My point is," Lamont explained. "You two can keep each other company. Who knows, you might actually enjoy yourselves."

Sheba studied Nat and her eyes betrayed her interest. "It's not a date," she said. "But I'll come."

Nat wasn't exactly sure of what had just happened, but he instinctively said, "I'll be there."

Sheba rolled her eyes. "You better be. This will be the first time I'll get to enjoy one of Lamont's parties without having to fend off his annoying advances." She frowned at Lamont and told Nat, "Your job is to keep this asshole away from me."

Lamont said, "I'm not that bad."

"Yes you are," Sheba insisted. "You're a dirty dog." She smiled at Nat and said, "I'm only agreeing to go because you seem like a nice guy."

Lamont pulled out his Black card. "Can we pay for this stuff now please?"

They paid for the things and Sheba walked them out the boutique. "Don't stand me up either," she firmly told Nat.

Nat laughed. "I won't."

"Don't worry," she warned. "I'll hunt you down and kill you if you do," she joked.

"I got you," Nat promised and then climbed in the limo with Lamont.

Sheba stood at the curb as the limo pulled off. Lamont stuck his head out the window and said, "Just make sure you show up!"

Sheba shook her head in amusement. Then she realized how giddy she had acted around Nat and had to admit she was looking forward to seeing him again. She even decided right there on the spot that she would get her hair done up nice and special. For the first time in a long time she was going to style herself for an event. She turned to head back in the shop and stopped when she noticed Tess, Saleena, and Izzy pulling up in the Escalade.

"Twelve forty-five. They're early," she whispered.

Tess, Saleena, and Izzy climbed out the truck and Sheba greeted them with a wide smile and led them inside.

Sheba told Tess, "I'm glad you came back."

Tess waved her off. "Please, I told you this place was like a dream come true." Tess hurried over to the handbags and squealed, "Yes." She turned to Izzy and said, "Go get the Macy's bag from the truck."

Izzy ran out to the truck and returned with a Macy's bag.

Sheba eyed Saleena's outfit and asked, "Are you looking for anything particular this afternoon?"

Tess announced, "We need one of everything we can fit."

"One of everything?" Sheba asked in disbelief.

Tess smirked. "You told me everything in here was select right?"

Sheba nodded. "Every piece is handpicked by me and delivered direct from the designer."

Tess motioned to Izzy and he tossed the bag at Sheba's feet. "That's a hundred and fifty grand, cash," Tess said.

Sheba slowly picked up the bag and looked in it. "This is probably double what your bill is going to be."

Tess nodded. "I know. Hold the rest as a prepayment on any new pieces you get. As soon as you get a piece, we get a piece."

Sheba's eyes narrowed. "You don't need a stylist, you need a buyer."

"Whatever you want to call it," Tess said. "Do you want the job?"

Sheba thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"Thirty percent on top of your markup," Tess offered. "But we want everything before season."

"Deal," Sheba agreed. "Let me get each of your measurements."

Sheba spent the next hour wrapping every inch of their bodies in measuring tape. She recorded everything from their shoe sizes to their hat sizes. By the time Sheba finished taking their measurements; she could look at any article of clothing and instantly know how it would fit them.

"We're all done," Sheba declared.

"Good," Tess replied and handed Sheba a piece of paper with the address to the Pittsford mansion, "Pick us out one of everything from your current stock that will look good on us and ship it to that location. Make sure you throw in some accessories too. Ship future articles to the same address."

Sheba glanced at the address. "Okay. You can expect the first shipment in two days."

Tess looked Izzy and Saleena up and down and then told Sheba, "I think we're gonna need to change into a few things before we leave."

Sheba put together outfits for each of them and sent them into the back room to change. Izzy put on a sweater and jeans by DKNY Men, a pair of Cole Haan shoes, and a wool coat by Gucci. Saleena dressed in a top and jeans by Burberry and a double breasted swing coat by TBA.

Tess slipped into a pair of jeans by Dolce & Gabana, a Gucci top, and her mink. When they were done dressing Tess carried the pile of Polo clothes from the back room and dropped them at Sheba's feet.

"Give them to the salvation army," Tess instructed.

"Whatever," Sheba muttered.

Tess, Izzy, and Saleena stepped out the boutique looking like a million bucks. Tess got behind the wheel and Saleena and Izzy got in the back seat. On the front passenger seat sat the backpack with the rest of the half million they brought for the trip.

Izzy reached over the front seat and grabbed the bag. "We have a lot of money left," he pointed out.

Saleena said, "I like my new clothes a lot, but shopping wasn't that much fun."

Tess laughed. "That wasn't shopping. Shopping is about negotiating and working a salesclerk down from a price. Shopping usually takes places in jewelry stores. We're about to go shopping. But first we have to make a stop in Chinatown."

Saleena asked, "A stop for what?"

Izzy answered, "The ID's remember?"

Tess pulled off with no idea that someone had been watching them since they pulled up.

Nor did she notice the nondescript sedan that followed them all the way to Chinatown. It wasn't until after they spent two hours in the back of a so-called massage parlor getting new identities complete with birth certificates, social security cards, and high-quality fake driver's licenses that Tess realized they were being tailed.

"We got company," Tess said as she stopped at a red light.

"Where?" Saleena asked and looked back.

"Don't look," Tess said. "Two cars back."

Izzy checked the rearview mirror. "What do you want to do?"

Tess thought for a moment and said, "I got an idea."

Tess took the Lincoln Tunnel to Jersey and hopped on the Jersey Turnpike and pulled into the first rest stop she came across. As expected, the tail followed them and parked a few feet away.

"Stay in the truck," Tess told Izzy and Saleena while grabbing a Glock .9mm from under the driver seat.

Tess tossed the gun in her mink and walked in the main entrance of the rest stop. She went into a gift shop and purchased a ball of yarn and then left the rest stop through a side exit. The tail was busy watching the main entrance. He didn't notice Tess as she crept to the back of the car. She quickly hopped in the back seat and pressed the barrel of the gun against his temple. It happened so fast that he didn't have a chance to react. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Don't shoot me," he pleaded.

"Why are you following us?" Tess asked already knowing the answer.

He stuttered as he said, "My boss told me to keep tabs on you and find out where you are staying."

"Who's your boss?" Tess questioned.

He paused and Tess pressed the gun deeper into his ribs. "Look," the guy said. "I usually do pick-ups and drops. Whatever problem you have with PJ has nothing to do with me."

"Pick-ups and drops," Tess mouthed, and then asked, "Money?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm just a delivery guy."

Tess smirked. "Good enough. I'm not going to kill you."

The guy sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Phil."

Tess put her gun down and threw Phil in a choke hold from behind. He tried to wiggle his body free, but her grip was too strong. "Sleep," she whispered to him as his body went limp.

Saleena and Izzy were waiting for Tess to walk out the main entrance when Tess parked Phil's car next to the truck. Tess got out the car and waved Saleena and Izzy over.

"What happened?" Saleena asked as they approached the car.

Tess pointed at the back seat, where Phil's unconscious body lay hog-tied. "I got him"

Izzy chuckled. "Let's take him home and make him the first step in our quest to take over

Simon's organization."

Saleena smiled devilishly. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Chapter Ten

Sheba walked into her sparsely furnished Soho loft carrying the Macy's bag of money. The loft was basically a huge room with a kitchen, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet filled with designer clothes and shoes. A king size bed sat in the center of the room with a sectional sofa on the wall to the right and a wall mounted flat screen TV on the wall to the left. Sheba had barely taken two steps into the loft when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the bag and then threw it under the bed before going to the front door and looking through the peephole. She snatched the door open and sighed at the sight of a tall, blond-haired man in a dark-blue suit.

"What Marcus?" she said with frustration.

Marcus walked in and shut the door behind him. "You have a job to do," he said and removed an envelope from his blazer.

Sheba snatched the envelope with attitude. "I told you I was done."

"No you're not," he stated firmly.

"Yes I am," she insisted.

Marcus exhaled. "Look Sheba, this is bigger than the jobs. This is about family."

Sheba shook her head. "Family should respect the life I'm choosing for myself."

"And we do," Marcus assured. "But that doesn't mean you can walk away from the family business. Thomas expects you to do this job."

Sheba hesitated before she responded. "I'm grateful for Thomas taking me in. I've always done what was asked of me, and I never asked for anything in return, but I need to choose my own path now."

Marcus scratched his chin. "Just go with Mary to do this job. I'll sit down with Thomas and try to get him to see things your way."

Sheba opened the envelope and read the contents. "North Dakota?"

Marcus nodded. "You leave tomorrow. You'll be back in a day."

"I'll do it," she surrendered. "But this is it."

"It is what it is," Marcus shrugged. "I'll let Thomas know."

"Thanks Bro." She hugged him.

"Good luck," Marcus told her before leaving.

Sheba leaned against the door and exhaled. She hoped Marcus could get Thomas to let her go, but she knew it was a long shot.

***

Twenty years earlier, Sheba had been a snot-nosed toddler when Thomas found her abandoned in Grand Central Station. Someone had placed a fanny pack around Sheba's waist with a note inside that read, "Her name is Sheba. Please raise her right."

Thomas had been in his late 30's back then. He was CEO and founder of a very successful private security firm that catered to corporations. He was also a widower and a single father of an eight-year-old boy, Marcus; and a six-year-old girl, Mary. His children just happened to be with him when he stumbled upon Sheba.

"Can we take her home, daddy?" Mary had asked.

Thomas looked around and thought about how rough life would be for Sheba in foster care. "I guess so," he said without thinking.

Thomas took Sheba home to the family's Hampton estate and raised her like his own, which meant preparing her to enter the family business. Not only did Sheba get the best education that money could buy, but she was still just a toddler when Thomas had her join Marcus and Mary in martial arts training. By the time Sheba was sixteen, she was highly efficient in more than four fighting styles, more than adept at using a knife during close combat, and a qualified marksman with a handgun. By the time Sheba was eighteen, she and her siblings had joined the family business.

It turned out that Thomas' firm was more into securing the interests of powerful corporations than offering security for their personnel. Thomas was a corporate assassin. Corporations hired him to resolve irresolvable situations, and that usually involved destroying a reputation, torching an establishment, or arranging an untimely death. Thomas had been a one- man firm for nearly thirty years, and then each of his children joined him as they came of age. The children became his secret weapons, and Sheba had been the deadliest.

Sheba had effortlessly mastered the art of murder. She never ceased to amaze Thomas with the eagerness and diligence with which she completed her assignments. She never disappointed. There once was a major shareholder who refused to sell one of Thomas' clients his shares. Sheba crept into his house while he was in the shower, broke his neck, and made it look like he slipped and fell. Then there was the whistle-blower who would've cost a client billions of dollars in fines and taxes. Sheba sabotaged a boiler in the basement of a movie theater and blew up the entire building. She didn't give a second thought to killing four hundred people to get to her target. She had an indifference about killing that filled Thomas with pride.

Sheba had done Thomas' bidding for almost four years. He had been ready to retire and hand her the reins of the company. He was confident she would not let his clients down. He had been prepared to announce his decision to the children when Sheba told him she no longer wanted to be a part of the family business. Thomas mostly blamed himself. He had encouraged her to start a business of her own on the side as a cover for the work she did for the family business, but he had never imagined she would take her boutique so seriously. First he considered burning her boutique to the ground, and he would have done it if it had been just about business. But it was also a family matter, so he decided to give Sheba a little time and space to see if she would come to her senses—then he would protect his business interest at all costs.

Sheba knew that Thomas had sent Marcus to deliver more than just the assignment. The assignment itself was a message that her little sabbatical was over and the notion of her leaving the family business was no longer up for discussion, but Sheba wouldn't give in that easily. She hoped Marcus could gain her enough time to come up with a plan to shake free.

***

Simon had transformed the entire sixth floor of his headquarters into an eight bedroom penthouse that had enough amenities to put any house on MTV Cribs to shame. It had a state of the art home theater, an industrial-sized kitchen with professional cooks, an indoor basketball court, an indoor pool, and a full-size bar. Only one of the building's six elevators went to the sixth floor, and it opened right into Simon's lavishly furnished living room. Everything about the pad was overdone to the point of meaningless extravagance. It was a direct reflection of Simon's ego. He was on top, literally and figuratively. Stacy, Tracy, and Angela were the only other people with permanent residences in the building, and they all lived on the fifth floor.

Simon sat on the living room sofa eating a burger and fries when Stacy stepped off the elevator. She sat down beside Simon without a word, and he knew she had brought bad news.

He slowly sat his food down and asked, "What is it?"

"Good news and bad news," she said.

"Bad news first," he insisted.

Stacy crossed her legs. "The tail we had on Tess disappeared."

Simon nodded as if he had expected the news. "And the good news?"

"The last time the tail checked in, Tess, your sister, and Izzy were meeting some woman at a boutique. They spent almost two hours with her," Stacy explained.

Simon shrugged. "It was probably just shopping. That's why we put eyes in the Village in the first place. We expected her to go shopping."

"The woman met them at their car and they didn't have any bags when they left," Stacy pointed out.

Simon thought for a moment. "You think this woman might be one of Tess' old contacts?"

"Anything is possible," Stacy said with a nod.

"Alright," Simon exhaled. "Run a background check on this boutique and find out whatever you can about this woman."

Stacy stood. "I'm already on it."

***

Phil sat gagged and duct taped to a chair in the middle of Izzy's living room while Tess, Izzy, and Saleena debated what to do to him. Saleena held the summoning blade and Izzy and Tess held handguns.

"I'm telling you," Tess said. "His body will survive as long as we don't shoot him in the head"

Saleena suggested, "Let's just stab him in the heart."

Phil's eyes grew wide and he struggled to get free to no avail. Tess pointed her gun at his chest, but Izzy stepped in the line of fire.

"Wait," Izzy shouted.

Tess sighed in frustration. "Now what?"

Izzy reasoned, "If we want a demon to keep his body, we should keep the body intact."

Saleena and Tess agreed, and then Saleena asked, "How are we going to do that?"

Izzy ran in the kitchen and came back with a plastic bag. "We suffocate him with this. It won't mark his body at all. Then our demon will take on his life."

Tess' face lit up. "That's perfect. I would've never thought of that."

Izzy poked his chest out with pride. "That's because you're not a reaper." He handed the bag to Tess. "You do the honors."

Pain and fear filled Phil's eyes as Tess walked behind him and pulled the bag over his head. He frantically tried to turn and tilt his head from side to side, but Tess held the bag tight around his neck cutting off his air. His body tensed as he struggled to breathe. Izzy and Saleena watched as his body went limp showing no signs of life. Tess removed the bag and Izzy and Saleena stepped closer. All three of them kept their eyes trained on Phil's lifeless body. Minutes passed and there was no sign of any demon. Izzy moved Phil's head from side to side and got no response.

"Maybe he wasn't one of mine," Izzy proposed.

"He worked for Simon," Tess reminded.

Saleena said, "Indirectly. Maybe he didn't realize what he was doing for Simon."

Tess shrugged. "That's impossible. If he—"

Just then Phil's body twitched uncontrollably and his lifeless eyes bounced to life with fiery red pupils. The demon inside Phil's body noticed Tess, Izzy, and Saleena huddling in front of him and struggled to break free.

Saleena touched the demon's face and said, "Relax." He calmed down, and she took the gag from his mouth. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.

"Princess Saleena," the demon answered in a demonic voice.

"Good," Saleena nodded. "I summoned you to this body because I want your help."

"What help?" the demon asked.

"First," Saleena said. "I need to know what is in this human's head. Second, I want you to join me on earth."

The demon laughed. "Then the rumors are true! You're raising an army to fight your brother."

"No," Saleena corrected. "I am stealing my brother's network of humans from under his nose."

"What's in it for me?" the demon asked.

Tess replied, "There is no human to reclaim that body. It is yours. With it you can enjoy all the pleasures of humanity."

The demon closed his eyes as if he was in deep thought and searched the corners of Phil's mind. "Yes," he moaned. "This body will serve me well."

"And you will serve me well," Saleena stated firmly.

The demon nodded. "As it is my nature to serve you."

Saleena kissed him on the forehead, brandishing the outline of her lips on his skin. "You are bound by the devil's pact. May you be banished back to hell the moment you so much as consider breaking it."

The demon smiled and his eyes turned normal as the brand on his forehead disappeared. "Now," he said sounding exactly like Phil. "The new and improved Phil would like something to eat." The duct tape constraining him burst into flames and disintegrated and he stood and cracked his knuckles. "This feels different," he observed.

Tess asked, "Different how?"

Phil rubbed his hands together. "I've possessed a lot of humans, but they were still alive. It was like a battle for their minds. They never really let you in. They're always there pushing." He eyed his hands and made a fist. "But now it's just me here, but it's not really me."

Izzy said, "That doesn't make any sense."

Phil explained, "I have complete control of his mind. His thoughts. His memories. His feelings. It's like I'm him." He inhaled. "I can even feel me as other than him, but at the same time I can feel him as other than me." He turned to Tess. "You wanted to know about the money I pick-up and drop off?"

Tess looked at Izzy and Saleena and said, "This is better than expected."

Phil chuckled. "I have a lot to tell you, but I prefer doing it over food. My taste buds tell me pizza is very good."

Four hours later, Phil, Izzy, Saleena, and Tess sat at the dining room table looking stuffed. A dozen empty pizza delivery boxes lay on the table. Phil was supposed to fill them in as he ate, but they got so caught up in enjoying the pizza that no one said a word until the last slice was gone.

Phil rubbed his stomach. "That was something."

Saleena stretched. "Sure was."

Tess turned to Phil and said, "Now what do you have to tell us?"

"Oh yeah," Phil nodded. "This human was mostly a driver for some drug smuggler name PJ, but he also delivered large bags of cash to a woman."

"Where did he deliver the money?" Tess pressed.

"The location always changed," Phil answered.

Saleena sighed, "That doesn't help."

Phil smiled. "Maybe not, but this human also drove the woman home a few times, so I know where she lives."

Tess stood. "Great. We'll visit this woman tomorrow."

Chapter Eleven

It was four in the morning when Sheba got the call informing her that a car was waiting on her outside of her apartment building. She had expected an early pick-up and had already dressed and had her morning coffee and bagel with cream cheese. She grabbed her handbag and walked out the loft hoping she would be back by sunset.

The driver opened the back door of his black Bentley for Sheba and closed the door behind her before hopping behind the wheel and pulling off. Sheba leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and relaxed. She didn't have to ask the driver where they were going. She knew he was taking her to a private airport in Connecticut. The hour-long drive gave her a chance to clear her head and prepare for the job that lay ahead of her.

"We're here," the driver announced when they pulled into the airport.

Sheba sat up and massaged her temples. "Thanks."

They drove pass two hangers and three private jets before stopping at a private jet with another Bentley parked in front of it. The driver got out and opened Sheba's door.

"Thanks again," Sheba said.

Her knees wobbled a bit as she climbed the stairs to the jet. She couldn't believe she had let Marcus talk her into going on another assignment. She had reservations about the job, but relaxed when she stepped into the jet's cabin and saw Mary sitting there waiting for her.

"It's about time," Mary teased as she greeted Sheba with a hug.

Sheba playfully nudged Mary's shoulder. "I was ready when the driver got there."

Mary was a stunning blonde with sparkling blue eyes, melon-size breasts, and a firm round backside. She had the kind of body that caused men to double back for a second look, but a dumb blonde she wasn't. Mary had graduated top of her class from Harvard School of Business. She ran an information consultant firm by day and moonlighted as a case analyst for her father's firm, which meant she ran thorough background checks on all of her father's targets and briefed Marcus, Sheba, and her father before they executed their assignments. She and Sheba were the best of friends, and seeing her put Sheba's mind at ease.

The pilot stuck his head out the cockpit and asked, "We ready to go?"

"Yeah, Mike," Mary answered.

Mike was much more than a pilot. He had been Thomas' all-purpose transportation man for the last five years. Thomas called him a getaway specialist. It didn't matter if it was air, sea, or land, Thomas could count on Mike to get him and his children to safety after they completed an assignment.

"Get strapped in," Mike told the ladies and headed back into the cockpit.

Mary and Sheba sat across from each other. As soon as the plane was in the air, Mary pulled a briefcase from under her seat and handed Sheba a folder.

Sheba flipped through the folder and asked, "What's the angle?"

Mary explained, "A local union screwed over one of our clients. The union was supposed to assist our client by voting yes on a bid our client made to purchase an aluminum plant, but the union heads pulled out at the last minute. I assume our client thinks he has a better chance of getting the union's vote back with a new set of union heads."

"What's my cover?" Sheba asked.

"They're expecting our client to send in his negotiator for some last minute negotiations, which they plan to stonewall. All of their talks have been under the radar. They don't want anyone to know they've been in talks to sell, so you'll be meeting at a discreet location."

"Okay," Sheba said. "It should be a walk in the park."

Mary leaned forward and looked into Sheba's eyes. "The client requests a specific line of action."

Sheba patted her handbag. "I saw it in the folder."

"The driver who picks you up when we land is our inside man," Mary explained.

Sheba didn't respond. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Mary sat back and smiled. She knew Sheba's routine and she wasn't going to disturb it. They spent the rest of the flight in silence.

"It's time," Mary told Sheba when they landed.

Mike stepped out the cockpit and said, "I'll keep her ready to go."

Sheba stood, stretched, and told Mike, "I won't be long."

Mary hugged Sheba and said, "Good luck."

Sheba smirked. "I keep telling you luck has nothing to do with it. I do what I do."

"Because you're good at it," Mike and Mary finished Sheba's sentence together.

"Better believe it," Sheba teased before stepping off the plane. She was in her zone: fearless and confident with a hint of arrogance.

A Range Rover sat parked outside the jet with a big burly guy behind the wheel. Sheba got in the back seat, and the driver informed her, "You're meeting at one of the closed plants."

Sheba fingered the strap of her handbag. "Doesn't matter where we meet."

She looked out the window and eyed the scenery as they pulled off. The view looked like something off a postcard, Sheba thought, looking out at a mountain range in the distance as they rounded a cliff. They drove through a series of huge hills and then hit a stretch of flatland lined with skyscraper-size Birch trees. Sheba imagined a wild animal would jump out in front of the car at any moment. They turned onto a dirt road, and she tensed when a forest seemed to shrink around the truck. Low hanging tree branches scarped the top of the car's roof, causing Sheba to lean forward.

"Here we go," she muttered when she spotted a rundown three-story office building up ahead.

The driver pulled up in front of the building's entrance and said, "I'll keep the engine running."

"I won't be long," Sheba said and headed into the building.

The lobby seemed deserted except for an elderly receptionist who greeted Sheba when she walked in. The woman led Sheba to a cramped conference room where three middle-aged men awaited her. The men all sat on one side of a long conference table.

The receptionist left and the man in the middle stood and said, "We weren't expecting a new negotiator."

Sheba replied, "My employer thought it was time for a fresh perspective."

"I'm Tony Taylor, and this is," he nodded to his right, "Sam Keens," then to his left, "and Tim Mathews."

The men stood and Sheba shook each of their hands, looking them each in the eyes.

"Have a seat," Tony told Sheba as he and his partners sat.

Sheba remained standing and cut her eyes at a clock on the wall behind the men. "My employer feels like you've smacked him in the face."

Tony laughed. "I don't think your client wants to know how it feels for us to slap him in the face. We have very hard hands."

Sheba scanned the room. "When was the last time this building was used for anything but storage?"

Tony tapped his fingers on the table. "A dead building for a dead situation."

"I can't argue with you there," Sheba said and pulled a silenced .9mm Glock from her handbag.

Before the men could react, she sent a bullet into Tony's forehead. She had removed the spring from the gun's chamber to keep her firing as silent as possible and had to manually eject the spent shell casing by pulling the chamber back. She did this in the blink of an eye and fired two bullets into each of Sam and Tim's foreheads. She then calmly collected the shell casings and tossed them into her handbag before walking out the conference room with the gun concealed behind her back.

"Done already?" the receptionist asked as Sheba approached the desk.

"Not yet," Sheba answered.

Sheba swung the gun forward and sent a shot between the receptionist's eyes. This time Sheba didn't bother ejecting the spent shell. She walked out the building and climbed in the truck.

"How'd it go?" the driver asked.

"Smooth," Sheba answered as she ejected the shell and tossed it in the handbag along with the gun.

"In and out like the wind," the driver said.

***

Back in the conference room, black smoke oozed from the bullet holes of the three men. Sheba had effortlessly disposed of them and then disappeared without a trace. At least that's what she thought. Less than ten minutes after she had left, a man entered the conference room holding a flash drive. He eyed the dead bodies and pulled out his cell phone.

"Yeah," he said into the phone. "We have a problem."

***

"Thanks for the ride," Sheba told the driver as they pulled up to the jet.

"No problem," he replied and cut the engine.

Sheba quickly drew the gun from her handbag and placed the barrel on the back of his head. "Sorry."

"You don't have to do this," he pleaded.

"You're a part of the assignment. No loose ends," Sheba sighed and squeezed the trigger. The driver's brains sprayed onto the windshield. Sheba took a deep breath and then pulled a candy bar size block of plastic explosive and an electronic detonator from her bag. She plugged the detonator into the explosive, sat it on the back seat, and climbed out the car.

Mary greeted Sheba with a hug when she stepped aboard the plane. "How'd it go?" she asked.

"As planned," Sheba stated.

Mike stuck his head out the cockpit and said, "Strap in."

Sheba and Mary buckled into their seats, and Mary asked, "All head shots?"

Sheba took a small box with a button from her purse. "That was the job, so that's what I did." As soon as the plane hit the runway, she hit the button and the Range Rover exploded. "And now the job is complete."

Mary hesitated and said, "Was that so hard?"

Sheba eyed Mary. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mary bit her bottom lip and said, "All this talk about stepping away, it doesn't make—"

"I want a normal life," Sheba revealed. "Maybe a husband and some kids."

Mary burst into laughter. "Girl please. You've never even had a boyfriend, and now you want a husband."

"I said maybe," Sheba snapped. "I just feel like I need a change in my life right now. You know, live a little, get to know some people."

"Sheba, you are a stone-cold killer," Mary reminded. "And you're anti-social. Selling people clothes doesn't change that."

"For your information, I meet people at the store," Sheba argued. "And I've made friends. I'm going to a party this weekend."

Mary waved Sheba off. "Whose party? That crazy rich guy you style. He invites you because he wants to bang you, and you go to see what people are wearing and pick up new clients."

"Yeah," Sheba confessed. "But this time I have something like a date."

Mary giggled. "What's something like a date?"

Sheba explained. "There's this cute guy who's going to meet me there. I met him yesterday."

"That's so cute," Mary taunted. "But take the time to get to know him before you scare him away with marriage talk."

Sheba threw her hands up in frustration. "I didn't say I wanted to get married. I said—"

"Maybe a husband and some kids," Mary mimicked. "Same thing." Mary's eyes widened with a realization. "You still a virgin?"

"None of your business," Sheba said defensively.

Mary shook her head. "You need to be saying maybe a little sex."

"You're so silly," Sheba chuckled.

"I'm serious," Mary replied.

Sheba thought about Nat and smiled. "Who said that wasn't already in my plans?" Mary shot Sheba a suspicious look. "I hear that."

"I'm just saying," Sheba started. "You ever meet someone you just connected with on another level?"

"About twice a year," Mary answered seriously. "Look, if you're feeling this guy, don't waste time playing games with him. Have fun, get your freak on while you have the time, because you never know when the family business will come calling. Trust me, I know. Enjoy him while you have him in your clutches. No man wants a woman who just up and disappears in the middle of the night every other week or drops out of sight for days at a time."

"That's why I want out," Sheba sighed.

"Sheba killing is what you do, and you do it because you're good at it, remember?" Mary said softly. "Stop tripping, killer."

Sheba leaned her head back and closed her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew Mary was right. There was something inside of her that loved the rush of a kill.
Chapter Twelve

Nat stood outside a Manhattan office building eating a soft pretzel. It was a little after five in the evening and he'd spent the last twenty minutes watching accountants and lawyers stream out the building after a long day's work. Nat was waiting for someone specific. He started to think he'd missed her until he spotted a tall, slim woman in a skirt suit. Her name was Kim Christie, and she was the first name on the list Nat got from Charles. Nat had looked her up on Facebook and immediately recognized her doe-eyed face when she stepped out the building. He tossed his pretzel in a trash can and approached her.

"Kim Christie," Nat asked, flashing his fake Homeland Security badge.

"Why?" Kim stopped and asked defensively.

Nat put away his badge. "Need to ask you a few questions."

"Shoot," she said, walking slowly.

Nat kept pace. "It's about one of your clients. Clash Holdings."

Kim stopped in her tracks. "What about them?"

Nat shrugged. "You mean besides the black market Viagra and dead bodies found at one of their establishments? We believe they've been laundering money for several terrorist organizations"

Kim looked directly in Nat's eyes. "I don't know about any of that. And I'm not at liberty to discuss any of Clash Holding's financial dealings. They're privately held."

"Yeah," Nat said. "But you're listed as the chief financial officer of one of their investment subsidiaries. How about I ask you a few questions about exactly what it is that you've been investing in for them?"

Kim held out her wrists. "Am I under arrest?"

"Not yet," Nat warned.

Kim turned cold serious. "Well, the next time you want to ask me some questions you better have a warrant. And any questions about Clash Holdings should be directed to their legal representation."

Nat pulled a small notepad and a pen from his pocket. "And who might their legal representation be?"

"Find them the same way you found me," she snapped and stormed off.

"I'll be in touch," Nat called out behind her.

Kim didn't respond. Nat smirked and tapped his pen on the notepad. Kim's reaction told him he was onto something. He was sure that someone on his list would cave and spill the beans about their role in Simon's organization.

***

Simon had been in his penthouse relaxing when Tracy called and said he'd better get down to his office. He didn't know what to expect when he got there. Tracy stood alone in front of the TV screens with a remote in her hand.

"What is it?" Simon asked.

"We had a situation in Stanton."

Simon sighed. "The lab?"

"Yes," Tracy said and aimed the remote at the TV's.

A video popped on the screen showing footage of Sheba killing the three men in the conference room. The angle of the footage revealed there was a hidden camera in the clock on the wall.

Tracy said, "In addition to this, the lab was robbed."

Simon walked up on the screen and watched it closely. "Play it back to before she pulled the gun."

Tracy did as she was told and Simon studied the footage.

"Stop it and rewind it to the same spot again," he instructed. He watched it and said, "One more time."

"They cleaned the lab out and destroyed whatever equipment they didn't take," Tracy explained as Simon watched the footage.

Simon stepped back and rubbed his chin. "That's strange."

"What?" Tracy asked.

Simon took the remote, rewound the footage again, and paused it right after Sheba drew her gun. "Look," Simon said. "They didn't sense her intentions. They had no idea that she was intending to execute them."

Tracy slowly nodded. "That's the second time in less than a week. Maybe it wasn't the sword."

Stacy walked in with a folder and said, "I got something very interesting on our boutique owner."

"That's much needed good news," Simon said.

"She's—" Stacy started and stopped when she saw Sheba's image on the screens. "Right there."

"What?" Simon asked.

Stacy pointed at the screens. "That's her. What is that?"

Tracy said, "That's surveillance footage from Stanton. Tony's team was finalizing the kill on that proposed stock sale when she showed up to the meeting and executed them."

"Well," Stacy said. "That's what she does, and she does it very well."

Simon frowned. "Excuse me."

"She's a corporate assassin," Stacy revealed.

"Who does she work for?" Simon asked.

Stacy paused and said, "Mostly, us." Simon and Tracy looked at Stacy like she was crazy, and she explained, "She's Thomas Corbin's daughter, and one of his key assets. Her boutique's a cover." Stacy pointed to the screens. "This can't be a coincidence. She met with Tess and then knocked off three of our demon lords within twenty-four hours."

Tracy said, "The question is whether or not she's acting on her own or under Thomas' instruction."

"That'll be simple to answer," Simon said. "Call Thomas in."

Stacy headed for her desk and doubled back. "One more thing."

"What?" Simon barked.

Stacy reluctantly said, "I got a call from an executive at one of our investment firms. She said she was approached by a guy from Homeland Security."

Simon thought for a moment and replied, "That'll have to wait. They're probably just fishing again. If it gets out of hand with them, I'll call my contact in Washington and have them back off."

Stacy bit her bottom lip. "The firm is the same one we're using to funnel money into the Stanton plant."

"Just get me Thomas," Simon snapped.

***

Kim sat in the living room of her Irvington, New Jersey townhouse going over financial records. The coffee table was covered with spreadsheets and financial reports and a laptop sat on the sofa next to her. There was a knock at the door and she huffed and puffed as she walked over to it.

"Who is it?" she shouted.

"PJ sent me," Phil shouted from the other side of the door.

Kim looked through the peephole and swung the door open. "What is it?"

Tess, Izzy, and Saleena stormed in aiming handguns followed by Phil. Kim dropped to her knees and threw her hands in the air.

"Don't kill me," Kim begged.

Phil shut the door. "Don't worry, we're not going to harm that pretty little body of yours."

Kim spat at Phil and said, "PJ's going to cut your throat."

Phil pulled a plastic bag from his pocket. "I've heard more than enough. Let's get this show on the road."

Izzy and Saleena grabbed Kim by the arms while Phil threw the bag over her face. Kim struggled to break free, but they pushed her onto her back and held her down while Phil cut off her air supply. Her attempts to break free grew weaker by the second and then her body went limp. Phil kept the bag over her face for a few minutes and then finally removed it and checked her pulse.

"She's dead," Phil announced.

Izzy sat Kim's lifeless body on the sofa and then they stood around waiting for a demon to possess her.

Phil asked, "How long does it take?"

Izzy replied, "Not long."

Kim's body twitched and her pupils turned fiery red. She aggressively jumped to her feet, and Saleena touched her cheek and she instantly calmed down.

"Relax," Saleena told her.

Kim dropped to her knees and bowed her head in submission. "Princess Saleena," she said in a demonic sounding voice.

Saleena pulled her to her feet. "Stand up."

"Then it's true," Kim nodded eagerly. "You really crossed over and you're fighting Simon for his spot on earth?"

Tess looked bewildered. "How does everybody know that?"

Kim shrugged. "Hell's buzzing with rumors about it." She turned to Saleena. "Can I stay and join you. Please," she begged.

Saleena cut her eyes at the others and told Kim. "Only if you look into that human's mind and tell me what she's been up to."

A light bulb went off in Kim's head. "I'm in this body alone, aren't I?"

Phil nodded. "It feels strange, doesn't it?"

Kim closed her eyes and savored the feeling. "Oh, she's been through a lot, and she knows a lot."

Tess smiled. "Good. Now tell us what she knows about Simon's money."

Kim pointed to the financial reports. "She's been funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into off shore bank accounts. It's a bunch of dummy corporations that will simultaneously make huge purchases from an aluminum plant in Stanton, North Dakota."

Tess frowned. "Why?"

"This human doesn't know," Kim sighed. "But she believes there was something very shaky about the plant in Stanton."

Saleena asked, "Is there anything helpful in that brain of hers?"

A devilish grin cut across Kim's face. "She knows the access codes to the off shore accounts, and she's responsible for transferring the money when the time is right. She also knows where one of the most powerful drug smugglers in the US lives."

"PJ," Phil muttered.

"That's right," Kim said.

"We don't have much time," Tess said. She grabbed the laptop and turned it to Kim. "Can she access those accounts online?"

"Yeah," Kim answered. "It requires a combination of passwords, but she knows them all."

Tess slapped her thigh. "Let's transfer the money."

"To where?" Saleena asked.

Tess plopped down on the sofa. "I haven't exactly been open about everything I had going here."

Saleena's eyes narrowed. "And what does that mean?"

Tess confessed, "I had expected things to get rough between me and Simon, so I set up a few things in case I had to go underground."

"A few things like what?" Saleena pressed.

Tess took a deep breath. "I had a trust fund set up that owns a majority stake in one of Europe's largest textile manufactures."

Izzy slapped his forehead. "No wonder you weren't worried about spending our money. How much is your trust fund worth?"

"I don't know," Tess answered. "I've been chained up in a basement for ten years."

"Check now!" Saleena ordered.

"All right, all right," Tess muttered and typed on the laptop. She used a password to log onto an exclusive European Bank's website and then typed in another password to log onto the web page of her trust fund. "According to this, my executor has been busy."

Izzy eyed the screen. "How much is it worth?"

"Two hundred and thirty million," Tess announced.

"Wait," Kim said, pointing at a list of financial transactions displayed on the screen. "This human has dealt with this trust fund." She put her finger on a transaction with Clash Investments. "They've been purchasing equities from Clash Holdings. They've spent the last eight years trying to purchase the Stanton Plant. Then something came up and Clash Holdings stalled talks and started raising money to funnel into the plant."

"Why would he be doing that?" Tess whispered.

Saleena asked Tess, "Who's he?"

"Eshu," Tess stated like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Saleena gasped in surprise and started pacing. "Are you serious? Eshu is my father's eyes, hands, and feet on this planet. How could you not tell me that you were in bed with him?"

Tess sat down the laptop. "I didn't feel it was time to mention the trust fund, so I didn't think to mention my relationship with Eshu."

"Relationship," Izzy and Saleena said in unison.

"Human's would call him my husband," Tess admitted. "But it's been an awkward long distance relationship since I crossed over with Simon. Eshu crossed over five or six times a month to be with me. But he had to fit me in between the work he does for your father."

Saleena sighed. "No wonder you know so much about my father's plans for me and my brother on earth."

Fire burst from Saleena's eyes and her hands turned lava red. She grabbed Tess by the throat and lifted her up. "What else are you not telling me?"

Tess struggled to breathe. "Your father has another seed planted here on earth. It's neither demon nor human and will be more powerful than both."

"Where?" Saleena barked.

"I don't know," Tess swore. "But Eshu provides for it, and only the Host can destroy it. Simon knows nothing about this."

Saleena released Tess and shook her head. "No more withholding information." She kissed Tess on the forehead, branding the outline of her lips onto Tess' skin. "I bind you by the devil's pact. Think about breaking it and you shall return to hell forever. Understood!"

"Yes," Tess nodded as the brand disappeared. "I have other bank accounts that Eshu doesn't know about. We can transfer Simon's money into the trust fund and then empty the trust fund into the other accounts."

Saleena said, "Do it."

Tess grabbed the laptop and said, "My trust fund also owns and operates a highly secured office building in Connecticut. It was supposed to be my safe house but Simon captured me before I could make it there."

Izzy asked, "Does Eshu know about it?"

"Well, yeah," Tess said. "But let's be real. Eshu can find us any time he wants. He's on the sidelines on this one. We set up at my facility, and at least we'll see him or Simon coming. Besides, I got my own private army on payroll there."

Izzy exhaled in frustration. "It probably would've saved a lot of time if you had told us this sooner."

"No," Tess argued. "We still have to knock off Simon's human network, and that's something we have to do on our own in the field."

Saleena looked at Phil and Kim. "Not anymore."

Saleena kissed Kim on the forehead and bound her by the devil's pact. Kim giddily suggested, "Phil and I can snatch up the human called PJ, kill him, and then enlist the demon who possess his body."

Phil nodded. "Then we can find out who he knows and do the same thing to them." Kim and Phil kneeled and bowed their heads, and Kim said, "If that's okay with you,

Princess Saleena."

"First," Saleena said. "Let's transfer this money and go to the building in Connecticut. Then I will tell you what to do."

### Chapter Thirteen

Thomas didn't know what to expect when he got the call that Simon was sending a car to pick him up for a face to face meeting. Simon had been one of his top clients over the last decade, but he had only met him in person one time. Thomas assumed Simon had a very important job lined up and brought Marcus along for the trip. He thought about Sheba during the ride. He was starting to realize that Sheba wouldn't willingly take the helm of the family business. Although he reluctantly accepted that she was no longer the heir apparent, he wouldn't just let her walk away. He had invested too much money and she was too great a resource. He was determined to keep her on board, but he didn't know how he would do it yet. He pushed thoughts of Sheba from his mind as the car pulled up to Simon's headquarters.

Thomas ran his hand over his distinguished looking gray hair and turned to Marcus. "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. You don't say a word unless I tell you to."

"Yes Sir," Marcus agreed.

Stacy and Tracy greeted the father and son when they stepped out the car. Thomas stood as tall as Marcus and the two shared the same smile, which they flashed at the twins.

Thomas said, "What have I done to deserve this red carpet treatment? Two beautiful ladies."

The twins abruptly turned. "Follow us," Stacy ordered.

Marcus glanced at Thomas and Thomas shrugged as they followed them inside. Stacy and Tracy didn't say a word as they took the elevator up to the third floor. Thomas and Marcus tensed up when they stepped off the elevator and spotted two heavily armed men in black combat fatigues standing in front of Simon's office door. Marcus tapped Thomas as they followed the twins into the office, and Thomas motioned him to be cool.

Simon sat on the edge of his desk staring at the blank TV screens with the remote in his hand. He stood and greeted each of the men with a firm handshake. "Glad you could make it," Simon said.

Thomas nodded. "Anything for my number one client."

Simon cut his eyes at the twins and then back to Thomas. "But I'm not your only client, am I?"

Without hesitation, Thomas said, "Of course not."

"I have a problem," Simon stated flatly.

"Well," Thomas said, "Solving your problems is my business."

Simon eyed Thomas closely. "This time you may be my problem."

Thomas didn't flinch. "Is that so?"

Simon motioned to Marcus and then asked Thomas, "You run a family business, right?"

Thomas instantly sensed something accusatory in Simon's tone. "You can say that," he said slow and deliberate.

Simon tapped the remote against his leg. "You have done very good work for me. I value what it is that you do. I respect you. So I am going to ask you a direct question, and I expect a direct answer."

"Ask it," Thomas replied with a shrug.

"Who hired you for the Stanton, North Dakota job?" Simon asked bluntly.

Thomas began to understand the reason for the meeting, but he didn't blink. "I wasn't hired for any job in North Dakota."

Marcus stood there stone-faced with his eyes locked on Simon. He suddenly felt naked. His father had convinced him not to bring his gun. He sized Simon up and assumed he could disable him with his bare hands if he had to. Of course his assumption was based on the notion that Simon was nothing more than a man.

Simon scratched his chin. "How loyal are your children, Thomas?"

Thomas immediately knew something was wrong. He didn't know how much Simon knew, but he decided to cut his losses. "My two children are extremely loyal."

Stacy immediately corrected Thomas saying, "You have three children."

"Oh, I understand," Thomas sighed. "No, I have a son and a daughter, but I also have an adopted daughter, Sheba. She's a little headstrong. I use her from time to time, but she likes to do her own thing."

Marcus caught on to what his father was doing and clenched his teeth as he tried to maintain his composure. Simon pointed the remote at the screen and the footage of Sheba popped on. Thomas and Marcus watched in stunned silence.

Simon rewound the footage and paused it on a frame of Sheba shooting Tony. "Is that Sheba?"

"I can't believe it," Thomas whispered feigning surprise.

Marcus played along and sighed, "It can't be."

Simon sat the remote down. "I need to know who hired her."

"Like I said," Thomas replied. "She's headstrong. We haven't exactly been on speaking terms over the last several months. I can't help you."

Simon laughed. "I don't need your help. I know where she works and where she lives. I brought you here to make sure you were not in on this. I'll handle your Sheba," Simon paused. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Of course not," Thomas assured. "Business is business, and this is your business, not mine."

"Good," Simon said and patted Thomas on the back. "If she contacts you, don't mention this little conversation of ours."

Marcus suggested, "Maybe I could get her to tell me—"

Simon cut in, "I don't need her to tell you anything. She will lead me to whoever hired her. Just stay out of my way."

Thomas smiled. "We got it." He threw his arm around Marcus' shoulder and asked him, "Don't we."

"Yes Sir," Marcus answered.

Tracy told Thomas, "You can see your way out."

Stacy watched Thomas and Marcus leave and then asked Simon, "Do you believe them?"

"Yeah," Simon nodded. "I believe they didn't know that she was hitting our people, but I don't believe the son will stay out of it."

***

Ben was in a room on the fourth floor of Simon's building. It was known as the concentration room. There was no furniture and the room was lit by candles that were mounted on the walls. Ben sat on the middle of the floor Indian-style, completely naked surrounded by a circle of fire with four-foot high flames that appeared to be coming out the floor. Two headless chickens lay in front of him and his face and chest were covered with the chickens' blood. His eyes were closed and he mumbled something unintelligible. The entire scene screamed satanic ritual. Simon walked in the room carrying a photo of Sheba printed from the conference room footage.

Ben opened his eyes and the circle of fire slowly withered away. He climbed to one knee and bowed to Simon. "Is there something you want me to do?"

"Yes," Simon said and handed Ben the photo. "I need you to track this woman."

Ben eyed the photo. "You do not wish me to engage?"

"No," Simon insisted. "I believe she is working with Tess. Follow her and see if she leads you to anyone interesting."

"If she does?" Ben asked.

"Report back to me," Simon instructed before leaving.

Ben turned the photo over and found Sheba's home and business address on the back.

***

Thomas and Marcus didn't share a word until they returned to their seven-bedroom Hampton mansion. Mary was in the living room eating a bowl of ice cream while she watched Jersey Shore. Marcus stormed into the living room and paced with a scowl. Thomas quietly sat down and ran his hands over his head.

Mary sat her ice cream down, "In case anybody is wondering, the job went smooth."

"I wish," Marcus muttered.

Mary looked confused. "What happened?"

Marcus explained. "Turns out that job was against one of our other clients, and he has Sheba on tape."

Mary jumped to her feet in panic. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Thomas said as a matter of fact.

Marcus snapped, "We sold her out."

Thomas said, "I did what I had to do to protect my family."

"She is our family!" Marcus shouted.

"Wait," Mary said, still confused. "What the hell are we talking about?"

Marcus said, "Instead of telling who hired us to do the job, Dad told them Sheba's working on her own."

Mary turned to her father with tears in her eyes. "Why would you do that?"

Thomas slowly stood. "First, I did not know the job was against Simon Clash, but even if I did, this other client is a part of a European Conglomerate that has ruled much of Europe since the Dark Ages. They're not the kind of people you can turn down."

Marcus threw his hands in the air. "And Simon Clash is?"

"No," Thomas admitted. "That's why I didn't reveal the other client. Whatever they have going on with Simon, we don't want to get caught in the middle of it."

"No we don't," Marcus spat. "Not us, just Sheba."

Mary asked, "If this other client is so powerful, why don't we just get them to help Sheba?"

Thomas turned cold. "The fact is, Sheba failed. If she hadn't gotten caught on tape we would not be in this situation. She's on her own."

Marcus stepped into his father's face and said, "You coward."

Thomas matched Marcus' gaze. "I understand you're upset, but my decision stands. No contact with Sheba. She wanted out, and now she has it."

"Dad," Mary said. "Please tell me this is not about Sheba wanting to step away from the business."

Thomas kept his eyes glued to Marcus as he replied, "No, but I also can't say that Sheba didn't slip because she wanted out. The reality is that she put us all at risk." Thomas stepped back from Marcus. "Sometimes it takes more courage to make the right decision than it does to make a hasty decision."

Thomas turned and walked out the room. Mary plopped down on the couch and Marcus sat beside her.

"I don't believe this," Mary sighed.

Marcus shook his head. "Me neither."

"We have to do something," Mary insisted.

Marcus stared off into space. "I've never seen Dad so scared," he thought aloud. "He believes he doesn't have a choice."

"So we just turn our backs on Sheba?" Mary asked.

"No," Marcus assured. "But we have to be smart about how we help her."

Mary's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea."

Chapter Fourteen

A three-story office building sat surrounded by miles of trees in a remote location in Connecticut. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. A path of trees had been cut to form a five-mile stretch of dirt road that led to a nondescript two-lane highway. The building had been there for over a decade without a single visitor. It was about three in the morning and two armed security guards sat at a security desk in the lobby doing what they did every night; playing cards. Izzy, Saleena, Tess, Kim, and Phil walked in the building and the guards jumped to their feet and drew their weapons.

"Stop right there!" One of the guards shouted.

Everyone stopped except Tess. "Calm down," she told the guards.

"You're on private property," the other guard said. "We will shoot."

Tess waved him off. "This is my property. Now scan me in."

The guards looked at each other and the first guard told his partner, "Keep your gun trained on them." He grabbed a laptop looking gadget from a drawer and flipped it open to reveal a hand scanner, a keypad, and a LCD screen. He typed a code into the keypad and motioned Tess to place her hand on the scanner.

Tess placed her hand on the scanner and the screen prompted, "System Access Granted."

"It's her," the first guard announced.

The other guard lowered his gun. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he told Tess.

"It's okay," Tess assured.

Merely a second passed before one of two elevators opened, and out stepped a clean-cut, no-nonsense looking man in a three-piece suit. He had a radio transmitter in his ear. He walked across the lobby with a confidence that announced he knew how to handle himself. Everything about him screamed Secret Service. He was pushing fifty but barely looked a day over thirty. He greeted Tess with a handshake, "Martin Crown at your service."

Tess pointed to Saleena. "This is Princess Saleena. Your services will be rendered to her."

Martin smiled at Saleena and nodded. "Princess? Well I assure you my security force is fit for royalty."

Saleena asked, "What exactly is the extent of your services?"

Martin began, "I am the head of your own personal security force. Within twenty-four hours you will have at least twenty guards on post here at your residence at all times. You also have a fleet of seven armored vehicles with twelve additional men available for transport convoys. The building has a penthouse on the third floor and two living units and four offices on the second floor. Our security services are extended to anyone you select to take up residence in the building."

Saleena eyed Martin before asking, "Your services are limited to security?"

Martin looked directly into Saleena's eyes as he said, "All of my men are ex-military. They've been in Afghanistan and Iraq. We say security force," he paused for affect. "But you can think of us as your personal army. Your business with us is confidential. We are here to protect and advance your interests, no matter what those interests are. You are our commander and chief. You give me an order, and I will make sure me and my men carry it out with no questions asked."

Izzy said, "That's what we needed to hear."

Martin cut his eyes at Izzy and then told Saleena, "From this moment on I answer only to you." He motioned to the hand scanner. "You need to inform me of who else will be staying in the building so I can get them coded into our security system."

Saleena informed Martin that she, Tess, and Izzy would be the only residents in the building for the time being, and he scanned them into the system and placed a gold bracelet around their wrists.

"The bracelets contain GPS chips," Martin explained while leading the entourage onto the elevator. The elevator doors didn't close until Martin placed his hand on a LCD panel. "The elevator won't operate unless it can confirm your identity." He pointed to a camera in the upper left corner. "However it can be activated from any of the residences. Only the penthouse can authorize the elevator to go to the third floor by remote activation."

They took the elevator to the third floor where it opened into the living room of the penthouse. The place was immaculate. It had eight bedrooms, a wet bar, an exercise room, a pool room, a movie theater, and a mini-club with a raised stage equipped with a stripper pole. It had excess and Tess written all over it. Martin gave them a tour of the place and then took them to the master bedroom, which had a massive den attached. A huge, touch screen, console remote sat on the bed.

Martin grabbed the remote. "This controls the entire penthouse. It's pretty self- explanatory." He hit an icon on the remote and music blared throughout the penthouse.

Tess clapped her hands. "Yes! It's exactly how I had envisioned it."

Tess stepped down into the den and the others followed. There was a sofa and a large oak desk with a high back leather chair. The walls looked like they were inlaid oak. Tess sat at the desk, which had nothing on it but a keyboard. She hit a switch under the desk and oak panels moved on the walls to the left, right, and rear of the desk. A huge aquarium was built into the wall behind the desk and large TV screens covered the walls to the left and right. Tess hit the enter key on the keyboard and Windows Operating System appeared on the screen to the left.

Martin said, "We update the software every three years."

Tess stood and motioned Saleena to take the chair. "It's all yours."

Saleena sat and told Martin, "We need to be alone."

Martin pulled out a smartphone and tossed it to Saleena. "That's a direct line to me. I'll be in my living quarters."

Izzy asked, "The second floor?"

"No," Martin answered. "I live in the basement."

"The basement?" Kim frowned.

Martin nodded. "This is a state of the art facility. I call it a basement, but it's more like another floor under the building. We have security cameras throughout the building and all around the parameter. The surveillance room is in the basement."

Tess added, "The basement's as big as this penthouse, except there's fifteen four-man rooms and it's connected to an underground garage."

Martin nodded. "That's correct. But it's not as nicely furnished as the penthouse." Tess protested, "I requested the basement have a game room and a swimming pool."

"It does," Martin assured. "I wasn't complaining. It is very comfortable. My men and I appreciate it a lot." He told Saleena, "I'm going to go now."

Saleena waited for Martin to leave and then told Phil, "You and Kim will turn this PJ fellow."

Kim asked, "Then what?"

Izzy replied, "You take over the real PJ's business and report to us instead of Simon."

Phil scratched his head. "But won't Simon come after us when the real PJ and Kim up and disappear?"

"Maybe," Saleena said. "The question is will he know where to look." She told Phil, "You and Kim will stay in the Connecticut mansion with PJ. Run the operation from there until you each can relocate. Your human vessels were criminals; they were used to hiding their actions from the authorities. It should come natural for you to hide your actions from Simon."

Tess said, "I should go with them."

"For what?" Saleena questioned.

Tess explained, "I should be there when they flip PJ in case something goes wrong during the possession."

Saleena stood. "Fine, oversee the possession, and then I want you to arrange a meeting with Simon."

"Simon?" Tess asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Simon," Saleena confirmed. "I feel like throwing a monkey wrench in my father's plans."

"Okay," Tess reluctantly agreed before leaving with Phil and Kim.

Saleena eyed Izzy and seductively licked her lips. "So," she purred, approaching him. "We're alone at last."

"I thought we'd never get rid of them," Izzy joked.

They quickly grabbed at each other's clothes like a couple of teenagers stealing a moment of privacy behind some bleachers in the school's gym.

Chapter Fifteen

It was nine in the morning and Lamont's cell phone rang while he was engaged in his normal morning-after sex with a strange woman he had brought home the night before. The large breasted brunette continued to bounce up and down on him like a seasoned jokey. Lamont recognized the ring tone and grabbed his lover by the hips in an attempt to stop her.

"Let it ring," the woman said, struggling to breathe as she continued to ride him.

Lamont sighed, "I have to get it."

"It can wait," she insisted.

"No it can't" Lamont barked and tossed her on the bed. He got up and grabbed the phone from his pants. "Yeah," he answered.

"Did I wake you?" Sheba asked on the other line.

Lamont cut his eyes at the brunette. "Nah, I was just lying here on my back."

The brunette sucked her teeth. "Prick," she snapped while getting up and gathering her things.

Sheba hesitated and said, "I need a favor."

"I usually don't do favors," Lamont said, watching the brunette get dressed. "But for you, I'll make an exception."

Sheba blurted, "Would you happen to have your friend's number?"

Lamont followed the brunette as she stormed out the bedroom. "Hold on," he told Sheba before yelling to the brunette, "Thanks for the good time."

The brunette rolled her eyes and gave him the middle finger and then walked out the house and slammed the door.

"I'm back," Lamont told Sheba. "Unfortunately I don't have his number."

Sheba exhaled, "Well thanks anyway."

"Hold up," Lamont said. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll put you on the phone with him."

"How?" Sheba asked apprehensively.

Lamont rushed in the bedroom and tossed on a bathrobe and slippers and then headed out the house and across the hall. "He lives right across from me."

"Don't do that," Sheba protested. "He'll think I'm desperate."

"Too late," Lamont announced and knocked on Nat's door. "And let's face it, you are desperate. Otherwise you wouldn't have called me."

Nat answered the door in his boxers looking half asleep. He frowned when he saw Lamont. "What is it with you and these early morning visits?"

Lamont held the phone out and said, "Here, talk."

Nat reluctantly took the phone and raised it to his ear while Lamont barged inside. "Hello?" Nat asked, closing the apartment door.

"Hi," Sheba said nervously. "This is Sheba. We met the other day at—"

"The stylist," Nat said with a smile.

"Yeah," Sheba replied softly.

"What's up?" Nat asked, eying Lamont, who watched him like a hawk.

Sheba paused and said, "I was wondering if you could come by the shop around noon." Nat was a bit confused. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Sheba assured. "I mean, would you like to eat lunch," she stammered. "I mean have me for lunch. No, I mean—"

Nat chuckled, "Are you asking me out to lunch?"

Sheba quickly responded, "Yes. I would like to have lunch with you this afternoon." "Okay," Nat agreed.

"Okay?" Sheba asked. "Like, okay I'm asking you to lunch, or okay you're accepting?" Nat shook his head with a smile. "Okay, I'm accepting."

"Okay," Sheba said slowly. "So it's set."

"It's set," Nat said. "It's a date."

Sheba giggled girlishly. "Yeah, it's a date."

"Well," Nat said. "I'll see you then."

"Oh, okay," Sheba stuttered. "So, I'm going to hang up now."

"Me too," Nat teased. "Bye."

"Bye," Sheba said and hung up.

Nat tossed Lamont the phone and played it cool. "What was that about?"

Lamont plopped down on the couch. "I don't believe it!"

"What?" Nat asked.

Lamont slapped his knee. "Man you might have just caught the last American virgin." Nat frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Lamont rambled on, "First I thought it was something wrong with her. Then I thought she was a lesbian. Not that I care. She has a right to any lifestyle she chooses."

Nat cut in, "What are you talking about?"

"She likes you," Lamont stood looking shocked. "I think she really likes you."

Nat shrugged. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Lamont replied. "But you're a man, and I just assumed she didn't like men." Lamont headed for the door. "Who would have thought?"

"Well thanks for bringing me the phone," Nat told him.

"No problem." Lamont opened the door and then turned to Nat. "I have about as much respect for women as your average pimp. They are a means to my end. But Sheba's different, which is why I truly believed she was a lesbian. Even I respect her. And that's saying a lot." He paused. "If she likes you, don't screw it up."

"I won't," Nat promised.

"She likes men," Lamont muttered to himself as he walked out.

Nat locked the door and said, "She likes me."

Nat had thought a lot about Sheba since they met. He had seriously considered backing out of going to Lamont's party. The only reason why he hadn't backed out was because Sheba had agreed to attend. At first he had tried to convince himself that he had to attend because Sheba only agreed to go because he was going, but then he realized he was really looking forward to seeing her again. Now he was both excited and touched by the fact that she invited him to lunch. He skipped to his bedroom like a boy in a candy shop and hopped in the shower. He washed up and did something he had never done before: he sang.

***

Phil, Tess, and Kim sat in PJ's living room while PJ's six-foot-four husky frame lay hogtied on the floor. PJ had answered the front door of his Upper Westside, Manhattan condo expecting to sign for a package when Tess knocked him out with a stun gun. Phil then hogtied him and killed him by placing a bag over his head. Everything went according to plan until a demon possessed PJ's body. The demon that showed up was a true rogue. He refused to cooperate.

"What are we going to do?" Kim asked.

Tess got up, kneeled beside PJ, and told him, "Search the human's mind and give us something we can use and we'll let you go."

"Untie me first," PJ barked in a demonic sounding voice.

"No," Tess said. "Help us and Princess Saleena will grant you the body of your human vessel."

"Princess Saleena?" PJ asked astonished.

Kim stood. "Yeah, she's summoning an army."

PJ thought about it. "I get to stay on earth?"

"For good," Phil announced.

PJ closed his eyes and searched the corners of his mind. "Fine," he muttered. "There's a safe built into the floor of the walk-in closet. Just pull back the rug. There's over four million in cash and a flash drive with a list of locations for some research labs."

"What kind of research?" Tess asked.

"This human isn't sure," PJ answered. "But it had something to do with crystal technology and the military or soldiers."

"The military?" Kim mouthed.

PJ explained, "This human was responsible for transporting scientists to secret labs all over the country and making sure they got paid under the table. He's overheard the scientists talking about how amazing the crystal technology is."

Tess thought about Greg and Tarsha. "What about cocaine?"

"There is no more," PJ revealed. "This human has cut off all ties with his cocaine and heroin connections."

Phil frowned. "That doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does," PJ insisted. "This human has been shifting all resources to the research labs. And all Simon's human assets have been doing the same. Simon's about to make a major move with this crystal technology. Now untie me."

***

Sheba closed up her boutique at noon. She wore a waist length chinchilla coat with matching earmuffs, a blouse and jeans by Louis Vutton, and a pair of knee high boots by Marc Jacobs.

"Keep it together, Sheba," she told herself, clutching her Louis Vutton purse.

Her heart raced and she had butterflies in her stomach when Nat pulled up in a dark green BMW 745Li. Nat got out, walked around the car, and held the front passenger door open for her.

"Thank you," she said before climbing in.

Nat got back in the car and asked, "Were you out there long?"

"No, I just locked up," she informed him and nervously looked straight ahead as if to avoid making eye contact.

Nat stared at her for a moment and then told her, "You look nice."

Sheba turned to him. "Thank you."

Nat pulled off without another word. He took Sheba to a small restaurant in SOHO. The place was empty and dark when they walked in. Sheba curiously looked around as they stood at the unmanned hostess' desk.

"I don't think they serve lunch here," she pointed out.

Nat chuckled, "What makes you say that?"

"For one," Sheba said as a matter of fact. "I don't live far from here, and I've eaten here a few times. And two, there's nobody here. I don't think they're open."

Nat smiled. "Under normal circumstances you would be correct."

A short man in a chef's uniform walked through the restaurant and greeted Nat with a bright smile. "Mr. Brenner, sorry I kept you waiting."

"It's alright Tom," Nat said. "And I keep telling you to call me Nat."

"Yes Sir," Tom nodded. "Please follow me."

Tom led them to a candle lit table for two. He held the chair for Sheba to sit and then attempted to do the same for Nat.

Nat waved him off. "Don't you got some food to cook," he teased.

"Just trying to be professional, Boss," Tom told Nat and then hurried to the kitchen.

"Boss?" Sheba asked Nat.

Nat held up his hands in surrender. "I confess. I own a majority stake of this place."

"Show off," Sheba joked. "You wanted to impress me on the first date, huh?"

Nat stared into her eyes and said, "The truth is that I wanted you all to myself for the afternoon."

Sheba shyly looked away. "Stop doing that."

"What?" he asked, staring at her.

"Looking at me like that," she said, diverting her gaze.

"I can't," Nat admitted.

"You can't what?" Sheba asked, looking at him.

"Stop looking at you," Nat said. "It's instinctual."

Sheba gazed back into his eyes. "No one has ever looked at me the way you do."

Nat maintained eye contact. "I really can't help it."

"I know," Sheba said, looking deeply into his eyes. "I've always had a knack for reading people when it comes to how they feel."

"And what do you read in me?" he asked softly.

Sheba shuddered. "The same thing I felt the first time I looked at you."

"And what's that?"

Sheba paused and said, "A powerful attraction."

Nat reached across the table and took her hand and they both gasped at the other's touch. It was as if there was something magnetic happening between them. They gazed into each other's eyes and communicated what couldn't be expressed in a million words. Tom walked out with two plates of food, and Nat and Sheba stood.

"Sorry," Nat told Tom. "Change of plans."

Sheba held onto Nat's hand as they headed out the restaurant. "My place is around the corner," she told him before she realized what she was saying.

Nat passed her his car keys. "You drive."

Sheba and Nat climbed into the car and pulled off with no idea that Ben was tailing him.

### Chapter Sixteen

Tess, Izzy, Saleena, Phil, Kim, and PJ sat at a conference table in an office on the second floor of Saleena's building. PJ had spent the last hour filling in Saleena and Izzy about the research labs and the scientists. After a brief discussion, Saleena decided to arrange a meeting with Simon. Tess reached out to Stacy and Tracy and scheduled a video conference. A phone sat in the middle of the table and a huge screen covered the wall directly across from the head of the table where Saleena sat. Tess hit a button on the phone and Simon popped up on the screen sitting at his desk with Stacy and Tracy standing behind him.

"Hey Sis?" Simon greeted.

Saleena smirked. "What's up big Bro?"

Simon noticed PJ and turned serious. "I see you've been busy!"

Saleena laughed. "He's not who you think he is. I had your PJ choked to death and a demon possessed his body."

"Yup," PJ said. "But I know everything this human knew."

Saleena boasted, "I have all the locations of your research labs, and I have detailed information about each scientist you have working for you. Not to mention I high jacked a large sum of money you planned to transfer to the Stanton plant."

Simon pounded his fist on his desk. "What do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Saleena shrugged. "I want a partnership."

Simon let out a sinister laugh. "Why would I want to do that?"

Saleena revealed, "The devil has another seed on earth. I believe he's been playing us against each other to draw out the Host. We're decoys for his other seed."

Simon considered the possibility. "I'll see about this so-called other seed. In the meantime, we need to meet in person."

"Fine," Saleena agreed.

"Good," Simon nodded. "Call off your assassin."

The phone on Stacy's desk rang and she stepped away to answer it.

"Assassin?" Saleena asked, looking lost.

"The human you hired to wipe out my three demon lords at the Stanton plant," Simon accused.

Saleena shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nonsense," Simon shouted. "You, Tess, and Izzy met with the assassin at her boutique in Manhattan Village. You deny this!"

Tess said, "We brought clothes from a woman, but she's only a personal stylist."

Simon jumped to his feet. "You lie!" he yelled. "We cannot have a partnership if you are not—" Stacy hurried over to Simon and whispered something in his ear. He cleared his throat and told Saleena, "I'm sorry. Something important has come up. It appears I was wrong about you hiring the assassin. We'll set up a meeting for later tonight. I'll know more about the devil's plans for his other seed by then. Have your security people contact Stacy and Tracy for the location."

"See you later," Saleena said before the screen went black.

Tess scratched her head. "What was that assassin stuff about?"

"I don't know," Saleena said. "But I'll find out at this meeting tonight."

Tess stood. "If you don't need me for this meeting, I'd like to make a run to Atlantic City. I had arranged to distribute some of the cocaine we planned on taking from Simon. I want to personally inform my people that the cocaine connection didn't pan out."

Saleena told Tess, "Fine." She then turned to PJ, Phil, and Kim. "I want the three of you to stay at the Connecticut mansion. I'll call if I need you."

Izzy waited for the others to leave and then asked Saleena, "You trust Simon?"

Saleena nodded. "First, Simon doesn't know how much I know about the research he's been doing with the crystal technology or how many demons I have summoned, so he doesn't know how much of a threat I really am. But more important, when he confirms the devil really has another seed on earth, I'll be the only person he can trust. And he'll need me to survive."

"How can you be so sure?" Izzy asked.

"Because we both know how the devil operates," Saleena said softly. "Another seed means Simon is expendable."

Izzy got up and kissed her on the cheek. "I hope you're right."

"I do to, because the truth is I'll probably need his help to survive more than he'll need mine," she admitted.

***

Things didn't go exactly as planned for Nat and Sheba. They were heading into Sheba's building when Nat spotted Ben driving by. Nat abruptly ran back to his car and popped his trunk. Sheba followed looking shocked and confused. She had no idea what was going on but his body language told her it was serious.

"What's wrong?" she asked and looked around nervously.

Nat grabbed the sword, closed the trunk, and threw his arms around Sheba's waist. "I'll explain when we get inside."

Nat quickly scanned a UPS truck that pulled onto the block and then led Sheba into her building. They didn't share a word on the elevator ride up to Sheba's floor, but Sheba turned to Nat for answers the moment they stepped into her loft.

"Talk," Sheba ordered.

Nat rushed to a window overlooking the front of the building. "Give me a minute."

Sheba joined him at the window. "You running from somebody?"

Nat pulled Sheba back a little. "Not exactly," he muttered. "It's complicated."

Sheba chuckled. "I understand complicated."

Nat started, "I had a run in with this, um guy a few days ago. I just saw him."

Sheba pointed at the sword. "And you're going to cut him with a sword?"

Nat eyed the sword. "It's complicated."

Sheba smiled. "You said that already."

There was a knock at the door. Nat started to unsheathe the sword, but Sheba stopped him. She quickly cut across the room, pulled a gun from a gym bag full of guns under her bed, and then tip-toed over to the door with Nat on her heels. Nat stood behind the door while Sheba checked the peephole. It was a UPS delivery person with a cap pulled down low, covering their face.

"Who is it?" Sheba asked.

"Special delivery for Sheba Corbin," a woman replied.

Sheba stepped back and aimed her gun before motioning Nat to open the door. Nat opened the door and Sheba quickly pulled the woman inside while Nat closed the door.

"Sheba wait!" the woman yelled.

Sheba snatched the woman's hat off and saw that it was Mary. "What are you doing?" Sheba asked.

Nat looked at Mary and asked Sheba, "You know her?"

Sheba exhaled, "This is my sister." She turned to Mary. "What the hell is going on?" Mary sighed, "I don't have much time."

"For what?" Sheba asked.

"It's kind of private," Mary said. "But your friend here is probably already a mark." Sheba frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You botched your last job," Mary regrettably informed Sheba.

"No I didn't," Sheba protested.

Mary explained, "They've got the entire conference room scene on tape. Thomas has seen it."

"Damn," Nat said. "The stylist business is intense, huh?"

Sheba ignored Nat, and asked Mary, "The police?"

"Worse," Mary declared. "Turns out the job was against Simon Clash's people."

Nat's eyes narrowed. "Simon Clash?"

Mary went on as if Nat wasn't there. "Thomas wouldn't give up his other client's identity to Clash," she paused. "He told Clash you took the job on your own."

"He's after you," Nat whispered.

Mary told Sheba, "Clash wants to know who hired you. He probably has somebody watching your place right now. Thomas ordered me and Marcus to stay away from you. Something's not right with the whole situation."

Sheba frowned. "Who did hire us for the job?"

"I don't know," Mary said. "I also don't know why Thomas is covering for him." She hugged Sheba, "Look, I have to get out of here. If I find anything out, I'll let you know."

Sheba nodded. "Thanks."

"Be safe," Mary said before leaving.

Nat locked the door behind Mary and then told Sheba, "I was wrong."

"About what?" Sheba asked.

"That guy I told you about. He wasn't following me. He was following you," Nat concluded.

"Why would he be following me?"

"Because he works for Simon Clash," Nat revealed.

Sheba hurried to the window. "Damn," she gasped when she saw Ben standing on the corner with three other men.

Nat looked out the window and spotted Ben and his three friends. "Well, they know we're up here."

Sheba walked across the room and dumped the gym bag full of guns on the bed. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this," she told Nat.

Nat shrugged. "You didn't really drag me into anything." He eyed the guns. "Who are you?"

"A stylist," she replied flatly.

Nat pointed at the guns. "I don't believe in coincidences. I've spent most of my life investigating Simon Clash's organization."

Sheba slapped her forehead. "Oh, god. Don't tell me you're a cop."

"No," Nat said. "But I am somebody that can help. I know a lot more about Simon Clash and his people than you. But I can't help you if you're not straight up with me."

Sheba hesitated before she said, "What do I have to lose at this point?"

She slowly sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her. Nat sat beside her and she started to narrate her life story, beginning with how Thomas found her and took her in.

***

Angela was sitting on the sofa when Simon stormed into her apartment and violently grabbed her by the neck and tossed her across the room. She barely recovered when he grabbed her by the neck again and held her up in the air.

"Why would Nathaniel hire an assassin to take out some of my people?" Simon demanded to know.

"He wouldn't," Angela gasped.

"He did," Simon shouted. "You also told me the Host would appear to slay me."

"That's true," Angela swore. "The Host will appear to slay the devil's seed on earth." Simon slowly put her down and backed away with concern in his eyes. "I've always assumed I was the devil's seed."

"You are," Angela said, struggling to catch her breath.

Simon shook his head. "I am not the only seed on earth."

"That is not possible," Angela said. "Nat's destiny is to present the sword to the Host and lead the Host to the seed. He's spent his life tracking you."

Simon muttered. "I'm a decoy." He grabbed her by the neck with one hand. "I have wasted too much time playing your little game. I will kill Nathaniel and take the sword for myself."

"But," Angela started.

"But nothing," Simon snapped and pulled the summoning blade from his waist. "Enough of your tricks. Without the sword, the Host cannot receive the message."

Angela yelped in pain as Simon thrust the blade into her chest. Simon watched her take her last breath and then dropped her to the floor.

"Show yourself." Simon commanded.

The room filled with black smoke that whirled in a small tornado and then cleared, revealing Asraf.

"What is it?" Asraf asked.

"We need to talk," Simon said. "I need you to take a ride with me. I'll explain everything on the way."

***

Nat had listened attentively to Sheba's life story, and then he told her about his mission and Simon's true identity. Sheba tried her best to take Nat seriously, but couldn't keep from doubling over in laughter.

"I'm serious," Nat told her.

Sheba held her stomach. "So Simon Clash is the devil's son, and he's at war with his sister who crossed over from hell. And a demon told you all of this?"

"Not all of it," Nat explained. "Just the part about Simon's sister."

Sheba laughed again. "And you carry a sword that you're going to give to the human/angel who's going to save the world from Simon."

Nat nodded. "Yeah, I'm serious."

Sheba looked into his eyes and stopped laughing. "I don't believe it," she muttered.

"What?" Nat asked, frustrated.

She touched his cheek. "You really believe what you're saying."

"That's because it's true, "Nat insisted.

"Okay," Sheba said. "Let's just agree that Simon Clash is a very bad man. What do we do now?"

Nat stood and paced. "If they saw you with me, they probably think we're working together."

Sheba pressed, "Yeah, but what should we do?"

"We wait," Nat said.

"Wait?" Sheba asked with a frown.

Nat nodded. "They have the tactical advantage out there. We have the advantage in here. They'll get restless and storm the place, and we'll take them out when they do."

Sheba grabbed a gun off the bed and chambered a round. "It makes sense to me."

***

Mary found the front door ajar when she arrived at the Corbin home. She sensed something was wrong and pulled a gun from her waist as she slowly crept inside. All of the curtains were pulled over the windows making the place look extremely dark despite it being midday.

"Dad!" she yelled out.

There was no response.

"Marcus!" she called out.

Still no response.

She made her way to the living room and found a pool of blood. Her heart fell and her knees nearly buckled but she inhaled to gather her resolve and aimed the gun out in front of her before following a trail of blood to the kitchen. The trail looked like it had been caused by a body being dragged. Mary stopped at the kitchen door and mentally prepared herself for whatever might be awaiting her.

"Let's go Mary," she said to herself.

She rushed through the door prepared to fire, and stopped in her tracks at the sight. There was blood and body parts everywhere. "No," she screamed and dropped to her knees in despair. Someone had chopped Thomas and Marcus to pieces. Their heads lay bashed on a counter and their limbs lay mixed and spread across the room. Mary sobbed for a few minutes and then climbed to her feet. She thought about Sheba and rushed out the kitchen.

She barely took a step out the kitchen when a shadowy figure stepped out from a corner and swung a sword at her neck and took her head clean off.

Chapter Seventeen

It was a little after sunset when a convoy of three Hummers pulled up to an abandoned warehouse in Buffalo, New York. Martin and four heavily armed men occupied the first Hummer; Saleena, Izzy, and two armed men occupied the second Hummer; and four more armed men occupied the last. The Hummers parked behind a black Rolls Royce Phantom. Martin got out first and motioned Saleena and Izzy to stay in their vehicles while the other men got out and canvassed the area.

Martin stuck his head in Saleena's vehicle and said, "It's all clear out here. You want me to check inside."

"That's okay," Saleena said as she and Izzy got out. "I'll be fine."

Saleena and Izzy headed into the warehouse. The place was empty except for a single table that sat in the middle of the room. Simon and Asraf sat on one side of the table and two empty chairs sat on the other side. They stood as Izzy and Saleena approached.

Izzy frowned at Asraf. "What are you doing here?"

Asraf smiled. "Relax."

"Simon," Saleena greeted her brother with a nod.

"Saleena," Simon greeted back with a nod. "Please sit."

They all sat and then Saleena said, "Dad's been trying to play us against each other to further his own ends."

Simon laughed. "The devil's always busy, but I've been busy too."

"What are you up to?" Saleena asked.

"What do you know about the Host?" Simon asked.

Saleena shrugged. "It's some kind of human/angel who will appear on earth to fight you."

"Close," Simon nodded. "The Host will emerge when humanity is at its lowest. When man loses all hope and faith in a better future. When hate and despair fills the hearts of men."

"When they are most susceptible to evil," Saleena reasoned.

"Not susceptible," Simon corrected. "Their fear, hate, despair, and hopelessness feeds evil."

Izzy said, "Meaning?"

Simon explained, "As you know we demons come from the fire, you reapers come from the smoke, and those annoying beings called angels come from light. Humans think of the fire as a place beneath earth. But it's not spatial at all. They're all separate dimensions, separate realities. We don't climb out of the fire, we cross over. Even when we cross over, we don't come straight to earth."

Saleena frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"How do you think it is that we are able to cross over with our own skin? I mean in human form?" Saleena looked baffled. Simon snapped his fingers. "There's a spirit world that sits between the dimensions of fire, light, smoke, and earth. I discovered that we stop off at this spirit world as we cross over, and that's where we are processed into human form. It all happens at the speed of light, but I have mastered how to slow the process down and go there at will."

Saleena's eyes widened with amazement. "What's there?"

Simon stared off into space. "That's the strange thing. I first went there twelve years ago, and there was nothing there. And then I introduced hopelessness, hate, and despair into the world on 9/11, and hundreds of demons migrated there from hell. As I spread the threat of terror throughout the earth, thousands of demons flocked there. It's like they're trying to break through to earth. Then a band of angels showed up and struggled to keep them from breaking through."

"Breaking through what?" Izzy asked.

Wrinkles formed across Simon's forehead as he answered, "There's some kind of barrier and it appears to get weaker the more hopeless humanity grows."

Saleena raised a brow. "Are we talking about rogue possessions?"

Simon shook his head. "No. If these demons get through, they'll cross over in their natural demon form."

Asraf added, "The pitiful state of humanity is drawing them to earth."

Simon continued, "It turns out these demons are a part of a special army dad has created for his other seed. While I've been weakening the barrier with terror, Eshu and the other seed have been purchasing corporations all around the globe and running them into the ground. They've been fueling unemployment and poverty."

Izzy's eyes lit with understanding. "More hopelessness and despair."

Asraf told Izzy, "And your presence has aided the devil's efforts against Saleena and Simon."

"How?" Izzy asked defensively.

Asraf told Izzy, "The devil manipulated you and Saleena into crossing over."

"Impossible," Izzy protested

Asraf laughed. "The devil's been planning this for an eternity." He looked into Izzy's eyes. "You've been dropping souls off in hell for centuries, and then by some coincidence you bumped into Saleena and fell in love with her. Every being in hell is under the devil's seduction, even those just passing through. He seduced both of you." He turned to Saleena and said, "You didn't escape to here, your father sent you here and imprisoned you here. He hopes that you and Izzy's disruption of the natural life balance here on earth will be the catalyst to calling forth the Host."

"It doesn't make sense," Izzy muttered.

Asraf said, "Lots of powerful and influential men have sold their souls to the devil, which means they're on your list. The devil has spent the last few days having these powerful men possessed by demons. He's creating a human network to help his other seed weaken the barrier so he can unleash his army on earth." Asraf cut his eyes to Saleena and then back to Izzy. "You have to return to the smoke."

Simon added, "The devil was banking on you being on earth and creating a gateway for his demons to discretely replace certain humans. He made a deal with the reapers. He promised them he'd deal with Saleena and hand you back to them if they agreed not to come after you. His plan was that all three of us would fall at the Host's sword. We are sacrificial lambs. The devil only wishes for his other seed to rise and rule over the earth. His only aim is to make men suffer; to thrust humanity into a hundred years of hell on earth."

"How can you be so sure'?" Izzy asked. "You just learned about this other seed."

Realization spread across Saleena's face and she told Izzy, "He knows because he always thought it was his destiny to establish my father's rule on earth."

Izzy scratched his chin. "I don't understand what the big deal is. If the other seed wants to make humanity suffer, let him."

Saleena snapped, "He wants to kill us in the process!"

Simon said, "The other seed cannot control the army as long as we are on earth. He needs us dead." He pointed at Izzy. "Your being on earth gives us a tactical blind spot."

Asraf told Izzy, "You have to return to the smoke." He then told Saleena, "He can't stay, but he can cross over a few times a year and visit you in the flesh."

"Is that possible?" Saleena asked in disbelief.

Asraf explained, "He's already connected to his flesh. You have a summoning blade. All you have to do is summon him. You must pierce his heart with the blade before midnight to send him back into the smoke."

Simon's phone rang and he answered and talked for a moment. He turned to Saleena after he hung up. "Good news. My people have cornered the human responsible for delivering the Host's sword to the Host. We should have the sword in a few hours. No sword means no message for the Host, which means no Host."

Saleena looked concerned. "But what are we going to do about the devil's other seed and the new network of demon lords on earth?"

Simon boasted, "I have my own network in place with plants in governments all over the world. We'll weed out the devil's network and destroy them one by one." Simon pulled a small crystal from his pocket. "The Stanton plant was a cover for a lab. I've stolen crystal technology from the Order of Light. They used it to trap rogue demons that crossed over. I've found a way to use them to transport warrior demons from the spirit world." He tossed the crystal to Saleena.

Saleena eyed the crystal. "There's a demon in here?"

Simon nodded. "Yup, and it must obey whoever releases it." He took the crystal back. "It can only be killed by a sword forged from light or the fire of hell. The only problem is I could only gather a hundred of these crystals."

Izzy said, "You have a hundred invincible demon soldiers?"

Simon frowned. "No. I had a hundred. Eighty were stolen on the day my three demon lords were killed. It was Eshu."

Saleena ran her fingers through her hair. "So we have to worry about the Host, the devil's other seed, and eighty demon warriors dad created to wreck havoc on earth?"

"Yeah," Simon admitted."And they have to worry about us."

Izzy cut in. "I hate to interrupt, but we don't have much time before I have to go back into the smoke." Saleena shot him a look of disbelief, and he took her hand into his and told her, "It's the only way I can help protect you from the devil and the other seed."

"Go," Simon told Saleena. "I'll send a car to your compound to lead your security convoy to my headquarters."

"But, you don't—" Saleena started.

Simon raised a hand. "I had your location tracked during our conference call. Just go. I'll pull you up on everything else I got going when I see you later."

***

Tess had convinced PJ, Phil, and Kim to go to Atlantic City with her. They sat in a suite at the Taj Mahal drinking champagne and eating from room service. They had been waiting on Greg and Tarsha for more than four hours. At least that's what Tess made them believe. The truth was that Tess knew Greg and Tarsha weren't showing up. She was simply waiting for the right opportunity to take care of the real business she had traveled to Atlantic City to handle. She had hoped the newly crossed over demons couldn't hold their liquor, and they didn't. They were on their third bottle of champagne when Tess grabbed her cell phone and her handbag and went into the bathroom.

Kim sat on the sofa flanked by Phil and PJ. She slowly began to unbutton her blouse and purred, "I'm getting hot."

Phil looked at PJ and slid his hands between Kim's thighs. "Humans call this getting horny."

"Yeah," PJ said and kissed Kim on the neck. "Our bodies are telling us we need to have sex."

Tess emerged from the bathroom with a silenced .9mm Glock in each of her hands. "Party's over," she barked.

PJ turned and attempted to stand and Tess sent two slugs into his forehead. Phil held his hands up.

Tess snickered. "Time for you to go home."

Phil rushed at Tess, and she calmly squeezed two rounds into his forehead and then sent two rounds between Kim's eyes. Tess watched as black smoke oozed from the bullet holes of each of the dead demons and then tossed the gun in her handbag and walked to another suite up the hall. Tess entered the other suite and stopped in her tracks after stepping into living room. Greg and Tarsha's bodies lay dead on the floor with two bullet holes in each of their heads, and four ten-year-old boys sat on the sofa. They were identical quadruplets who shared the same wavy hair, mysterious dark eyes, and wore matching black sweaters and black slacks. Tess quickly lowered her head and knelt before the boys.

"My Lord Wille Von Macht," Tess said. "Your servant Tess the Seductress is at your service."

The boys were collectively known as Wille Von Macht, and they spoke every word in unison. "Rise," they ordered.

Tess slowly stood, but kept her gaze lowered. "I have carried out your father's will. I have brought Prince Simon and Princess Saleena together."

Wille Von Macht said, "My sources tell me my brother will attempt to take the Host's sword tonight. He will fail, but his attempt will ensure the emergence of the Host and the Order of Light."

Tess chuckled. "Your brother foolishly believes he wiped out the Order of Light."

Each of the boys pulled a crystal from their pockets. "He did not wipe them out, but he did further our cause by manipulating their crystal technology. In any event, it is our intention to allow the Order of Light to consecrate the Host. And then Eshu shall engage her during the Calm of Transformation when she is vulnerable."

"And what does my Lord demand of me?" she asked.

"You shall accompany us to the spirit world where we shall train you to wield a sword forged from fire," the boys declared. "We must be prepared in case the Host survives, and there is also our brother and sister to worry about."

Tess nodded. "Your mighty will shall be carried out."

Chapter Eighteen

Sheba and Nat peeked out the window overlooking the front of her building and saw that Ben and his three goons were gone. Nat swiftly unsheathed the sword and approached the front door.

"Get ready," he yelled. "They're about to make their move."

Sheba grabbed two .45 caliber Mac 10 machine guns and took up position behind Nat.

"I'm ready"

Sheba and Nat were both focused on the front door when Stacy and Tracy came crashing through the front window on ropes like a SWAT team. They wore black combat outfits with handguns holstered at their sides and swords sheathed across their backs. Sheba spun to fire at the twins, but they drew their swords and were on her before she knew what hit her. Tracy sent her sword slicing at Sheba's guns and cut them in half. Before Nat could turn to help Sheba, the front door blew off the hinges and Ben and his three goons stormed in firing handguns. Nat braced himself and held the sword across the front of his body, triggering a force field that deflected the bullets.

Sheba swung at Stacy and Stacy ducked and smashed her fist into Sheba's stomach. Sheba doubled over in pain and Tracy crashed an elbow into her back and swiftly followed up with an open palm to the side of Sheba's cheek. Stacy then grabbed Sheba by the back of her head and kneed her in the face, breaking her nose and sending blood everywhere.

Ben and his goons kept their guns trained on Nat and surrounded him. Nat looked over at Sheba and saw that she was balled up on the floor while Stacy and Tracy stomped and kicked her in the face and body. The room was filled with Sheba's moans and groans of pain. Nat raised his sword and prepared for battle.

Ben told Nat, "Hand over the sword and we'll let her live."

"Never," Nat swore through clenched teeth.

Ben shook his head in disappointment. "You're surrounded. You won't be able to block all of our bullets."

Nat shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

Stacy and Tracy held their swords over Sheba, and Stacy warned Nat, "Drop the sword or she loses her head."

Nat tightened his grip on the sword. "I can't do that."

Before Stacy could reply, three knives flew through the front door and one hit each of the three goons in the head. Nat instinctively sliced his sword across Ben's neck, cutting his head off. Ben's body fell to the floor and disintegrated along with the bodies of the three goons. Fury filled Stacy and Tracy's eyes and they raised their swords and started to attack Nat, but stopped in their tracks when a tall, baldheaded man appeared in the doorway sharply dressed in all white with shades covering his eyes and a sword identical to Nat's in his hand.

"Sango," Stacy and Tracy whispered.

Sango held out his sword with one hand. "In the flesh," he taunted.

Stacy frowned. "But that's impossible."

Tracy looked back at Sheba balled up on the floor bloody and bruised. "Unless—" In the blink of an eye, Sango sprinted across the room and thrust his sword into Stacy's chest and then spun, sending his blade across Tracy's midsection. Stacy fell lifeless to the floor while Tracy doubled over trying to hold her spilling guts together. Sango stepped back and Nat walked over and beheaded Tracy. Nat and Sango then simultaneously tapped the handles of their swords, causing the blood to magically slide off their blades.

"Who are you?" Nat asked Sango.

Sango studied Nat with admiration for a moment and then removed his shades, revealing his strange yellow and green eyes. "I am Sango." He motioned to Sheba. "You must tend to her."

Nat sheathed his sword and helped Sheba to her feet. Her face was covered with blood. She winced as she stood and then turned to Sango. "Thank you."

Sango put down his sword, took Nat's sword, and unsheathed it. Nat backed up and watched in awe as Sango lowered his head and held the sword out to Sheba.

"No," Sango told Sheba. "It is Sango's honor to assist Makeda Sabas."

Sheba took the sword with both hands and a ring of energy pulsed from the sword and spread throughout the room before fading away. An expression of realization and understanding covered Sheba's face. The wounds on her face magically disappeared and she glowed with a youthful radiance.

Sheba said, "We must be going."

Nat's jaw dropped. "She's the Host?" he asked in disbelief.

Sango smiled at Nat with pride. "You have done a good job young Nathaniel."

Sheba reminded, "I'm not the Host yet. I still have to be consecrated. Now let's get going."

"There's a car downstairs waiting to take us to a private jet," Sango announced. Sheba walked out the loft and Sango and Nat followed.

***

Izzy lay naked in bed on his back while Saleena straddled him. They had just finished making love.

"I love you," Saleena said tearfully as she leaned forward and reached under the pillow.

"I love you too," he declared.

"Never forget this feeling," she told him.

Saleena sat up, pulling the summoning blade from under the pillow, and then plunged the blade into his chest before he knew what was happening. His eyes went blank and she collapsed on his chest sobbing. Merely a second passed when a thick cloud of black smoke swirled around the room. When the smoke cleared Izzy's body was gone.

Saleena lay on the bed alone. She was overcome by an overwhelming sense of loss and a loud bell went off in her head. It was a constant ringing. She massaged her temples and the ringing lowered, but it didn't stop. She tried to push the ringing to the back of her mind by taking a hot bath. After about an hour of relaxing in the water, the ringing grew bearable. It still nagged her, but she could deal with it. She barely realized it was still there when she dressed and got ready to go to Simon's.

***

Simon sat alone in his living room wallowing in a sea of despair of his own. A piece of who he was had been torn from his very being. He was the devil's chosen seed on earth. He was destined to unleash the devil's wrath on earth. He was destined to confront the Host and slay the Host in the name of his father's will. But now that had changed, and he was nothing more than a decoy. His father had passed him over. He no longer had an identity. His entire existence was recast with the simple discovery that his destiny belonged to someone else. Everything seemed to fall apart around him. His purpose had been destroyed. And then in an instance, he was reborn with a new purpose. He would no longer seek to carry out his father's will on earth. He would now establish his own will—a will dedicated and determined to thwart his father's plans for his so-called anointed seed. He would now be estranged from his father, but he would reinitiate a treasured relationship with his sister. He was sure that he and Saleena were a force to be reckoned with. She was still a demon scorned, but her scorn would now be directed at their father and his secret seed.

After a moment of pure anger and disappointment, Simon chuckled at the reality of the new situation. His father had tricked him and hung him out to dry. He replayed how well his father had played him over the last few centuries and nodded in admiration at his father's craftiness. "Good play father," he said as if he knew the devil was listening. "But chosen seed or not. I am still your son. And I have no intention of fading away quietly into the night. Your so called chosen seed doesn't stand a chance against me. I have home court advantage," he warned.

Chapter Nineteen

Dawn approached as the Lear jet carrying Sango, Sheba, and Nat descended to a small runway at a private airfield in Arizona. Sheba sat in the seat closest to the cockpit with her sword resting on her lap. Sango stood in the center of the cabin like a sentinel with his back to Sheba as if he were protecting her. Nat sat on the other side of the cabin facing Sheba and Sango.

"Where are we going?" Nat asked as the jet landed.

"A monastery outside of Wittman, Arizona," Sango answered. "That is where the Host will be consecrated."

Nat eyed Sheba, who appeared to be meditating, and then said, "I don't understand how she can be the Host. She was an assassin. I mean, I almost made out with her."

Sango replied, "The Host was to know all the ways of humanity. The good and the bad."

Sheba stood as the jet came to a stop. "Enough talk."

She climbed off the jet and Nat and Sango followed. A Cadillac CTS sat parked on the runway. Sango motioned Nat to get in the front passenger seat and hopped behind the wheel while Sheba got in the back. Sango eyed Sheba in the rear view mirror, glanced at Nat with a smile, and then smashed his foot on the gas like he was in the Daytona 500. The car peeled away, leaving a cloud of smoke.

***

Saleena looked depressed when she arrived at Simon's headquarters. Two armed guards led her to Angela's old penthouse. Simon greeted her with a hug when she walked in.

"Don't worry, Sis," Simon said and kissed her on the forehead. "You'll see him again."

Saleena stepped back and eyed Simon suspiciously. "Like you care."

Simon sighed. "Don't forget who I am. I taught you how to torture in hell. You wouldn't know how to boil a human's brains without disintegrating him if it wasn't for me."

Saleena blushed. "I guess you were a halfway decent big brother."

Simon frowned. "Halfway decent. I took the blame when you gave every human in the lowest sector of hell water for a week. And let's not forget about the time I let you hold the key to the gate to earth and you left it open too long. The demon Adolf Hitler did a lot of damage before we got him back to hell. Everyone thought I summoned him to earth."

Saleena laughed. "Yeah, but dad really enjoyed that one. He just punished you to save face."

Simon turned serious. "The point is you're my little sister. I'm sorry I got so caught up in my work here that I've neglected you, but know that I always have and always will care about you."

Saleena sighed as they embraced each other. "Thanks, bro. I've needed to hear that so bad. I really thought you forgot about me."

"I could never forget about you. You're the only being in existence I actually love," he assured. "Even if I would have sent you back to hell for trying to take over my organization."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Saleena muttered, wiping her eyes as she backed away. "Did you get the sword?"

Simon grimaced. "No. It seems the Host received the message. She did away with the twins."

"What now?" Saleena asked, alarmed.

Simon rubbed his hands together. "We have twenty crystals. We use those twenty demon warriors to stave off the Host and attack the devil's demon network."

Simon went into the bedroom and returned with two sheathed swords. He tossed one to Saleena and said, "Father had ten of these forged from the fire of hell."

Saleena unsheathed her sword, revealing a dark red blade. Her eyes turned fiery red and the sword's blade burst into flames. "It's like I can feel the blade, like it's a part of me."

Simon nodded. "That's because it is. It's made from the same stuff you are—the essence of hell."

Simon quickly unsheathed his sword and rushed at Saleena. He swung his sword counterclockwise and Saleena swung her sword clockwise until their swords crashed at their shins, sending red sparks throughout the penthouse. Simon stepped back and then aggressively attacked Saleena with a barrage of swings and thrusts. Saleena nonchalantly put one hand behind her back, turned to the side, and maneuvered her sword with one hand as she blocked each of Simon's swings. Simon grew frustrated. He swiftly crouched and sliced at Saleena's knees. Saleena somersaulted forward into the air and cleared Simon's sword before landing behind him. Simon spun upright while turning only to find the tip of Saleena's sword inches from his nose.

Saleena gloated as she held the sword out at Simon. Then with lightning speed, Simon dropped his sword, snatched Saleena's sword from her hand and spun while extending it, and stopped on a dime a fraction of a second before the blade smashed against her neck.

"Just testing to see where you were at," Simon said. "I need you to have my back."

Saleena knocked the sword away from her neck. "I got you."

"That's good to hear. Things are progressing faster than I expected," he told her.

Saleena's eyes narrowed. "In what way?"

"Eshu is actively engaged here on earth. He has a sword of fire and he used it to kill a

family of assassins I used from time to time," Simon explained. "On top of that, something major is going down in the spirit world. All kinds of spirits have migrated there in the last ten hours. It's like something is calling them there. I also learned that Tess has defected to the devil's other seed. I sense that they're also in the spirit world." He massaged his temples. "Whatever is going on there, I think it's calling me too."

"Is it like a ringing in your head?" Saleena asked.

"Yeah."

"I hear it too," Saleena confessed.

"I'm sure it has something to do with the Host," Simon reasoned.

Saleena thought about it and asked, "Do you think the Host is in the spirit world?"

"There's only one way to find out," Simon said.

***

Sango, Sheba, and Nat pulled up to a rundown two-story monastery in the middle of nowhere. The monastery looked like it had been there for a hundred years. The entrance had an arched doorway with a triangle at the apex of the arch. Sango, Sheba, and Nat got out the car and six monks walked out the monastery in two ranks of three dressed in brown robes and simple sandals. Behind the monks walked a white-haired man in his late 50's who wore an all white robe and simple sandals. His name was Tobias, and he was a high ranking member of the Order of Light. The two ranks of monks stopped and parted, and Tobias walked through them to meet Sheba, Sango, and Nat. Tobias glanced at Sango's sheathed sword, then eyed Sheba and her sheathed sword, and then turned to Nat.

"You have done well, young Nathaniel," Tobias said.

Nat looked confused. "How do you know my name?"

Tobias smiled warmly. "We the Order of Light have been watching over you and the Host. Come."

Tobias led Nat and Sango through the monks, but Sheba didn't budge.

"What about Sheba?" Nat asked.

"She's coming," Tobias assured.

Nat followed Tobias and Sango into the monastery. There were ten pews, five on each side of the room that created a walkway that led to an altar that sat in front of the wall across from the entrance. There was a door directly behind the altar and another door in the corner to the right of the altar. Tobias, Sango, and Nat walked to the altar, turned, and faced the entrance.

The six monks entered in two ranks of three, stopped and parted, facing each other. Sheba walked through the entrance and headed to the altar. As she made her way through the monks, she split into three versions of herself. A clone of pure light stepped out in front of her while a clone of pure fire simultaneously stepped out behind her, leaving the original version of her in the middle with the sword. She and her clones walked with synchronized steps and movements. Nat couldn't believe his eyes. Sheba stopped in front of Tobias and her clones flanked her.

"I am the Host," Sheba declared.

Tobias nodded and clapped his hands three times, and the monks hurried through the door behind the altar. He told Sheba, "If you will follow me."

Tobias led Sheba and the clones to the door in the right corner. Nat watched as Sheba and the clones disappeared into the room and shut the door behind them.

Nat turned to Sango and asked, "What now?"

Sango took a seat in a pew. "We wait until sunset."

***

Lamont had just kicked out his flavor of the moment, and was sitting in the living room reading a GQ magazine over a bowl of Fruit Loops when there was a knock at the door. He sat his bowl down and exhaled in frustration.

"I know you didn't leave anything?" he huffed as he walked over to the door. He checked the peephole and frowned. "You can't be serious," he muttered as he snatched the door open.

Wille Von Macht stood outside the door, and Tess stood off to the side out of view. Lamont looked at the boys and asked, "Are you lost?"

"No," the boys answered dryly.

Lamont threw his hands up. "Well, I know you're not about to tell me I'm your father, because I use condoms."

"You could never be our father," the boys said calmly.

Lamont looked at them like they were crazy. "So what do you want?"

"You," the boys stated.

Wille Von Macht raised their hands at Lamont and emitted a burst of energy that knocked him across the room into a wall. Lamont fell unconscious. The boys walked into the apartment

and Tess stepped in behind him.

"Is he dead?" Tess asked.

"No," the boys answered. "We need him alive, for now."

Chapter Twenty

Behind the monastery was a courtyard with a baptism pool in the middle of it. A stone walkway led from the monastery's back entrance to the baptism pool. Sunset was approaching, and the six monks flanked the walkway, three on each side, while Tobias stood at the end of the walkway in front of the pool holding a six-foot long wooden staff with a big octagon-shaped ruby at the top. Nat and Sango, who had his sheathed sword hanging from his waist, silently stood on the left side of the pool watching as Sheba and her clones walked out the monastery wearing thick terrycloth robes with hoods that covered their heads and concealed their faces. Sheba and her clones approached Tobias, and he stepped aside and allowed them to step down into the baptism pool. Just then, the sun began to set. Sheba and her clones sunk under the water and disappeared as if the pool was bottomless.

Tobias held the staff upright over the pool with the ruby in the air and stuck the end of the staff into the water. A beam of light shot from the setting sun to the ruby and sent a burst of red light down the staff and into the pool, which became completely illuminated. A ring of energy then pulsed from the pool, disintegrated the staff and spread out, knocking Tobias and the others onto their butts.

***

Eshu drove along a deserted highway in the Arizona desert. He looked over at the sunset and sighed. An unsheathed, red-bladed sword of fire lay across the back seat glowing. His eyes narrowed as he looked ahead and saw the ring of energy from the baptism pool rippling across the landscape towards his car. He braced the steering wheel as the ring of energy blew out the car's tires as it passed. He then shook his head, grabbed the sword from the back seat, and got out the car. He glanced at the tires and proceeded to walk to his destination.

***

Back at the baptism pool, the beam of light was gone and so was Sheba. Nat and the others struggled to their feet with their eyes glued to the baptism pool. They watched in amazement as Sheba and her clones popped out the water and levitated out the pool. All three versions of Sheba were unconscious, glowing red, with their eyes closed and their limbs hanging loosely in the air. Sheba and her clones slowly floated around each other and then gradually sped up until they merged and formed a red ball of light. The light grew brighter and brighter and then took the shape of a single body and faded to reveal Sheba floating in the air with her eyes closed. Nat looked at Sheba floating there and swallowed hard. She no longer wore a robe. She wore a red and black leather body suit that highlighted her curvaceous, athletic body. She opened her eyes and fell splashing into the baptism pool. Nat attempted to help her, but Sango grabbed him.

"No," Sango said.

Nat looked at Sango confused. Tobias clapped his hands three times and the six monks rushed over to the baptism pool and pulled a weakened but conscious Sheba out the water. Sheba draped her arms around the necks of two monks and all six monks hurried her into the monastery. Nat, Tobias, and Sango followed them inside and stood near the altar while the monks disappeared into a door in the corner with Sheba.

The monks emerged from the room a few minutes later carrying swords. Tobias nodded to them and they separated and took up posts. Two stood outside the door in the corner, two went out the front entrance, and the other two went out the back entrance.

Nat took a deep breath and sat in one of the pews. "So, Sheba's been consecrated?"

"Yes," Tobias said. "She is now Makeda Sabas, an agent of destruction and judgment, the giver of protection and deliverance. That is what she will do—"

Nat added, "All of the above in the name of the Lord of Humanity."

Sango said, "Now we wait for the Calm of Transformation to pass."

On the other side of the door in the corner, Sheba lay on her back on a stone slab raised about three feet off the ground. Her eyes were closed and her sword lay beside her.

Time seemed to stand still for Nat. He spent the next twenty minutes pacing, sitting, and pacing some more. He had spent his life preparing the way for the Host, and now he was anxious to see his mission fulfilled.

Tobias said, "She'll be up before you know it."

The two monks who guarded the front entrance rushed in and yelled, "Someone's coming."

The two monks hurried back out and Tobias, Sango, and Nat followed. Night was falling, and Nat and the others spotted Eshu approaching from about twenty feet away with his sword resting on his shoulder.

"Eshu," Sango muttered.

"You know him?" Nat asked.

"Not him, it," Sango said. "It's not human. It must not get near Makeda."

The two monks approached Eshu and met him about ten feet away from the entrance. Eshu tapped his sword against his shoulder and said, "Take me to the Host and I'll let you live."

"I don't think so," one of the monks replied.

The two monks raised their swords and attacked Eshu. Like a flash of light, Eshu swung from left to right and sliced through both monks and their swords, cutting their bodies and their swords in half. Eshu then walked toward Sango, Tobias, and Nat and stopped a few feet away.

"Sango," Eshu said with a sinister smile. "The Host is going to fall tonight."

Sango handed his sword to Nat. Eshu rested his sword back on his shoulder and attempted to head into the entrance, but Sango stepped in front of him.

Eshu shook his head. "Now, now, you know the rules. Once the Host is consecrated, you're out the game. It's time for you to fly home."

Eshu attempted to walk through Sango, and Sango thrust his right palm into Eshu's chest, pushing him back into the air. Eshu landed on his feet twenty-five feet away. Before Eshu could take a step, Sango appeared in front of him.

Eshu stepped back and raised his sword in a fighting stance. "You're not allowed to engage me now!" he shouted.

Sango calmly said, "Wrong. I'm not allowed to hurt you. That was a harmless shove."

Eshu barked, "Get out of my way."

Sango shrugged. "It's on you to make me, but as long as I'm here, you can forget about getting to the Host."

Eshu lunged and swung his sword down at Sango's left side, and Sango sidestepped the blow. Eshu reset and swung at Sango's neck, and Sango ducked and avoided being hit. In the next motion, Eshu crouched and swung at Sango's legs, and Sango jumped over the sword. Eshu then stood and launched a combination of swings to Sango's left and right side, and Sango dodged each swing with ease. Frustrated, Eshu raised the sword above his head and faked a swing to Sango's right, and then spun left and jumped in the air while swinging the sword down at the top of Sango's head. Sango raised his hands and caught the sword's blade between his palms. Eshu struggled to free the sword from Sango's grip to no avail.

Tobias and Nat stood near the entrance watching Eshu and Sango when Makeda stepped out the entrance carrying her sword. All eyes snapped to Makeda. Sango still held the blade above his head with blood dripping from his hands. Eshu eyed Makeda and then frowned at Sango and used all his might to force the sword down onto Sango's head.

Sango smirked at Eshu. "You wanted the Host. You got her."

Sango released Eshu's sword and it sliced through the top of his head and down his body, which emitted a powerful beam of light as it split in half.

Eshu walked through the two halves of Sango's body and pointed his sword at Makeda. "I'm going to end your mission before it begins," he threatened.

Makeda turned to Nat and Tobias and said, "This will only take a minute."

She walked toward Eshu with her sword lowered at her right side. Eshu lowered his sword as they met. They circled each other and stared each other down.

Makeda said, "Just leave your sword and run back to the fire and tell all your little friends that they should keep away from this side of creation."

He chuckled. "And why would I want to do that?"

"Because I'm the Host, remember?" she taunted.

Eshu shrugged. "The Calm of Transformation is not complete," he reminded. "Last I heard, I put this sword through your heart here on earth, and you go to sleep for another twenty years. That's as good as death."

Makeda giggled. "I thought you were supposed to spend your time deceiving men. Does the boss know you've been dabbling in self-deception? Let's be real, you don't have a shot in hell at getting that sword anywhere near my heart."

"Would you gamble humanity's next century?" he asked.

She smiled brightly. "Why not? I'm sure everybody on the other side is dying to see the new kid on the block."

Eshu held his palm out to his left and a huge seven-foot high ring of fire appeared out of thin air. She nodded at him and they stepped through the ring and disappeared.

Nat asked Tobias, "Where did they go?"

Tobias answered, "The other side of creation. A spirit realm. The Host champions for humanity on both sides of creation. The sword allows her to cross over. If the Host falls in the spirit world humanity will fall into a hundred years of complete hopelessness, despair, and darkness. If the Host falls here, she sleeps for twenty years."

"Sleep," Nat asked with a raised brow.

Tobias explained, "The Host is given to humanity for a hundred years. No more, no less. The question is how will she spend those years, sleeping or fighting."

Concern covered Nat's face. "I hope she's all right over there."

Tobias patted Nat on the back. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She is the Host, remember?"

***

The entire spirit world was covered by red tint. The sky was dark red above a huge Roman Gladiator style stadium. The stadium was packed, but it was dead silent. One side of the stadium was filled with fiery red beings of all shapes and sizes and the other side of the stadium was filled with winged men with no shirts on. Three VIP boxes were spread throughout the top level of the stadium overlooking the center of the stadium's dirt stage-floor. Wille Von Macht sat in one VIP box with Tess. The boys and Tess had horns sticking out of their heads. Sango and three other men sat in one of the other VIP boxes with no shirts on, displaying their perfectly sculptured muscular chests and the huge wings that stuck out of their backs and rose to about twenty feet in the air. Saleena and Simon sat in the last VIP box, and also had horns sticking out of their heads.

Simon and Saleena shot dirty looks across the stadium at Wille Von Macht. The boys ignored them and kept their focus on Sango's VIP box, but Tess rolled her eyes at them and tauntingly stuck out her tongue.

A ring of fire appeared in the air above the stadium's stage and out stepped Makeda and Eshu, who now had horns sticking out of his head. Makeda eyed the angels and demons that filled the stands and then smiled before she and Eshu squared off and inched towards each other with their swords raised. They touched swords and then Eshu stepped back swinging his sword downward. Makeda swiftly swung her sword counter-clockwise until it met Eshu's sword at their knees. He responded by heaving his sword above his head and sending it slicing down at her left shoulder. Instead of meeting flesh, his sword smashed against her sword as she swept it upward. Eshu pulled back for another advance, but Makeda kicked him in the stomach, sending him tumbling onto his back. As Eshu hopped back onto his feet, Makeda twirled her sword around her body and then gripped it with both hands.

Makeda inched towards Eshu again until they touched swords, and said, "That's it, huh? I expected more."

Eshu responded by launching his sword at Makeda's face. Makeda leaned back in the nick of time and quickly raised her sword, blocking Eshu's sword from crashing into her neck. Eshu then thrust his sword at Makeda's stomach and Makeda swung her sword downward, knocking Eshu's sword away before it could make contact. Makeda finally went on the offensive and swung her sword at Eshu's neck. Eshu blocked Makeda's swing, spun to his left, and sliced the tip of his blade across Makeda's left arm.

Makeda gasped and shook off the pain as Eshu swung his sword down at the left side of her body. She gracefully weaved out of harm's way and lowered her sword to her side and leaned right, then left, as Eshu let off a fury of downward swings. Makeda effortlessly slipped one swing after another. Angry, Eshu swung his sword at Makeda's right side, pretended to launch another swing down at Makeda's left side, and then plunged forward with his left elbow as Makeda attempted to lean right. But Makeda only faked right, raised her sword, and spun to her left and sliced Eshu's head clean off.

Eshu's head rolled on the ground as his body collapsed. Makeda turned to the demon side of the crowd, rested her foot on Eshu's head, pointed her sword at Eshu's body, and shouted, "That's what awaits you at the end of my sword!" She turned to Wille Von Macht and pointed her sword at them. "You should run back and tell your daddy that you want to lay low in hell for the next hundred years. Because if I catch you on the other side of creation..." She ran an imaginary knife across her neck, signaling that she would kill them.

Wille Von Macht frowned and said, "You better hope we don't see you on the other side first, and we will be looking for you."

Wille Von Macht walked out a door at the back of their VIP box. Tess lingered for a moment with her eyes glued to Eshu's body, and then followed.

Makeda turned to Simon and Saleena and said, "Your daddy has no use for you. I suggest you stay out of my way."

Saleena jumped out her seat. "You better stay out of our—"

Simon grabbed Saleena by the arm and pulled her to a door at the back of their VIP box.

Makeda turned to Sango and nodded. Sango returned the nod and smiled like a proud father. She then sliced her sword through the air and a portal appeared in front of her. She stepped through the portal and disappeared.

***

Nat stood in the monastery pacing in front of the altar with Sango's sword while Tobias stood nearby

"How do we know if she's winning?" Nat asked.

"We would know if she lost," Tobias assured.

"Can't you call somebody on the other side to see what's going on?" Nat pressed.

Tobias shook his head, annoyed.

Nat clarified, "I don't mean a phone. I mean, do the monk thing."

"The monk thing?" Tobias said with a raised brow.

There was a sound at the entrance, and they turned and saw Makeda entering.

Nat rushed over to her and asked, "What happened?"

Makeda tapped her sheathed sword against the palm of her hand. "I did what I do. I slew the demon."

Nat told Tobias, "She's kind of cocky."

Tobias smiled. "The Host embodies the spirit of the humanity she seeks to protect."

"We can't be that bad," Nat muttered. "Sheba, I—"

Makeda raised her palm at Nat's face. "It's Makeda the Host. And from what I understand you're supposed to be my apprentice or something."

Tobias informed Makeda, "He was born to accompany you."

Surprise filled Nat's eyes and he looked her up and down. "I, umm, I—"

"Listen lover boy," she said. "I'm fighting a war, so put the romance on hold. I need a soldier ready to hit the front lines. What's it gonna be?"

Nat studied her for a moment and replied, "I'm here."

"Good," she nodded. "Because we have a lot of work to do."

Nat shrugged. "So we just hang out here and wait for demons to show up?"

Tobias answered, "No. The Order of Light has assets in high places all over the world. We activate the Order and hunt down and destroy all of the devil's minions on earth."

Makeda said, "The devil actually has three seeds here on earth. They're not working together, which will make our job a little more difficult."

Tobias scratched his chin. "That's an interesting development. We need to inform the high council."

"The high council?" Nat questioned.

"Yes," Tobias said. "The Host is a heavenly warrior, but her efforts against the forces of evil are coordinated by a group of enlightened humans known as the high council. They head the Order of Light." Tobias patted Nat on his back. "There is much you need to learn young Nathaniel."

There was the sound of a helicopter approaching.

"Our ride is here," Tobias announced.

Makeda led Nat and Tobias out the monastery. In the distance, a convoy of four black SUV's and two low flying helicopters approached. Each helicopter carried a sniper. The convoy of SUV's pulled up in front of Nat, Makeda, and Tobias while the helicopters hovered in the air about twenty yards away. Three men carrying automatic machine guns got out of each of the first two SUV's and spread out in front of the monastery. One of the men motioned Makeda to get in the back of the third SUV. Makeda headed to the SUV, opened the door, and then ran back over to Nat.

"What's wrong?" Nat asked her.

Makeda beheld Nat's face and kissed him passionately on the lips. "I couldn't be the Host until I experienced love, and it happened at first sight." She took Nat by the hand and led him to the back of the third SUV.

Tobias smiled as Makeda and Nat climbed into the back of the SUV and then he climbed into the back of the last SUV. The armed men got back into their vehicles and the convoy pulled off followed by the helicopters.

***

Wille Von Macht and Tess regrouped at an underground compound on a deserted private island about a hundred miles off the coast of Paradise Island, Bahamas. The compound went four stories underground. The boys and Tess stood in a conference room that overlooked a war room where over fifty men and women wearing paramilitary uniforms manned stations in front of four huge screens that displayed satellite footage of different parts of the planet. The war room looked like it could be in the Pentagon.

Tess looked out at the war room and said, "The Host is good."

"We expected her to be a worthy opponent," the boys admitted.

"What is our next move?" Tess asked.

The boys each pulled a crystal from their pockets and placed them on the conference table. "We have seen the Order of Light's weapon, now we must show them ours."

"And what exactly are we going to do with Lamont?" Tess inquired.

The boys smiled. "You'll know soon enough."

Chapter Twenty-One

There wasn't a star in the night sky as the convoy carrying Makeda and Nat turned off a two-lane highway onto a stretch of desert flatland in the middle of nowhere about fifty miles south of the monastery. Nat held Makeda's hand and looked out the window with Sango's sword lying across his lap. He periodically cut his eyes at her. He remembered how cold, detached, and business like she had dealt with him when she first returned from the spirit world. He struggled to reconcile the intimacy and emotion she had displayed to him outside the monastery when the convoy arrived. It wasn't until then that it finally dawned on Nat that he had fulfilled his mission. He had delivered the sword to the Host. He momentarily beamed with pride at his accomplishment, and then became extremely curious about what laid ahead of him. He had always reveled in his alleged destiny, but he had never considered the possibility that there would be life after that destiny was achieved. He suddenly realized that the SUV's were cutting across the darkness at about ninety miles per hour, and he had no clue of where they were going.

He leaned forward and tapped the driver. "Where are we going?"

"Relax," the driver answered.

Makeda pulled him back to his seat. "Enjoy the adventure of it all."

Nat looked straight ahead at the two SUVs that led the convoy. "What the—" he yelled when the two SUV's up ahead appeared to drop out of sight.

The driver laughed and followed the leading SUV's into a brightly lit underground tunnel that was hidden away in the desert floor. "We're here," he announced.

Nat relaxed as they moved through the two hundred yard tunnel that took them fifty feet underground. They pulled into an underground parking lot that was about the size of two football fields. Nat scanned the area as they drove through a variety of parked heavily armed military vehicles, government-looking sedans, and armored limousines. Nat noticed there were security booths manned by armed guards sprinkled throughout the parking lot. The convoy pulled over at a bank of elevators.

The driver said, "This is your stop."

"Thanks for the ride," Makeda said.

The driver smiled. "The pleasure was all mine."

Makeda and Nat climbed out the SUV with their swords and met Tobias at one of the elevators. The SUV's pulled off as Makeda, Nat, and Tobias got on the elevator.

Instead of hitting a numbered button, Tobias placed his hand on a hand scanner and the elevator descended at a quick but safe speed. It dropped about fifty feet underground before it stopped. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into a bright white hallway that seemed to go on forever in both directions with intersecting hallways popping up every few yards. A pretty young lady wearing a white sun dress pulled up in a golf cart.

"The Council is waiting for you," she told them.

They climbed in the gulf cart and the young lady drove through a maze of hallways lined with doors sprinkled here and there.

Nat asked, "What are those doors?"

The young lady answered, "Living quarters, training rooms, meditation rooms. We're basically a self-contained city. Grocery stores, movie theaters, basketball courts, you name it, we got it. And nobody pays for anything. We call it Light City."

"How many people live here?" Nat prodded.

"Not many at the moment, but we have accommodations for over a thousand," the young lady replied. "There are larger pods that hold up to 2500 people, but their living quarters are not as big as ours. All the big wigs live here."

They stopped in front of a set of double doors marked, "War Chamber," which had a hand scanner where the door knob should have been.

"Here you go," the young lady announced.

Tobias, Nat, and Makeda hopped out the cart and the young lady drove off. Tobias placed his hand on the scanner and the door opened. They walked into a narrow corridor that led to another set of double doors. Tobias pushed the doors open and led Nat and Makeda in.

It was a huge room the size of a full length basketball court. The wall to the left of the entrance was covered with large servers for a super computer. Six desks, each equipped with two computer screens and a keyboard, sat spread out in the center of the room facing eight huge plasma screens that covered the wall directly across from the entrance. There was another set of double doors in the far right corner.

The six desks were manned by three men and three women—all appeared to be in their mid-twenties. From left to right, the first desk was occupied by Bret, a tall guy with spiky hair. The Second desk was occupied by Sue, a tall, model-looking woman with high cheek bones and mesmerizing eyes. At the third desk sat Sean, a stocky guy with a baldhead. At the next desk was Mya, a beautiful woman with large breasts, thick hips, and a round backside. Bill, a jock-looking guy with red hair and freckles, sat at the fifth desk. And at the last desk sat Alice, a bubbly young lady with a body made for a bikini. They were busy tapping away at their keyboards and chatting having no idea that anyone stepped into the war chamber.

Tobias shut the door behind him, cleared his throat, and the six youngsters jumped to their feet and hurried over to Tobias, Nat, and Makeda.

Tobias told Nat and Makeda, "I present the High Council."

The six council members introduced themselves to them, and Nat said, "I'm Nat, and this is—"

Alice cut him off. "We know who you are Nathaniel."

Nat looked at them suspiciously. "You're the High Council?"

Bret and the others laughed, then Bret said, "You were expecting a bunch of old men in monk's clothing?"

Nat shrugged. "Kind of."

Sue explained, "We are way more than we appear. For now we are to provide technical support and strategize and coordinate attacks against the devil's seed."

Makeda bluntly asked, "And what is the strategy?"

The six council members returned to their desks. Bret hit a few keys and the eight plasma screens displayed a huge satellite image of the planet.

Mya said, "Demons that possess a human vessel give off a unique heat signature. We're utilizing satellite technology to locate humans giving off that signature. We should have a database of those locations within twenty-four hours. Then we will gather intelligence about the identities of the demons' human vessels and build profiles. At that point we will develop a strategy for direct engagement."

Alice hit a key on her keyboard and the image of the planet switched to thermal imaging, displaying clusters of pink dots all over the globe. There were high concentrations of the dots in New York, DC, LA, London, Germany, and the Middle East. The screen also displayed two counters. One read "3929" and the other jumped to "42" as dark red dots popped up near the concentrated areas.

Nat sighed, "Does that mean there are over three thousand demon lords here on earth?"

"Yup," Sue nodded. "Compared to only a few hundred last week."

Nat asked, "What are those dark red dots?"

Just then one of the dark red dots disappeared and the second counter dropped to 41. "We're not sure," Sean said. "They've been fluctuating all day. They've been as high as 75."

Sue added, "The heat signature suggests they're not taking human form. We've deployed surveillance teams to each of the concentrated areas. It won't be long before we know exactly what we're dealing with."

Makeda walked over to the screens and studied them. "Keep in mind that the devil has three seeds on earth."

The six council members looked at each other in disbelief, and then Mya asked Makeda, "Are you sure?"

Makeda looked directly into Mya's eyes. "Of course I'm sure. I saw them in the spirit world. It appears the older brother and sister are at odds with the devil's chosen seed."

Bret rubbed his hands together. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage." "Whatever," Makeda said dismissively. "I'm just ready to get started."

Bret stood and told Makeda, "Good. In the meantime, maybe we should show you to your living quarters."

Tobias said, "That's a good idea"

Sue stood and walked over to Bret. "I'll go with you."

"Yeah," Nat nodded. "I need to get to my quarters too. I need a shower."

Bret and the others giggled like Nat said something amusing.

"Did I say something wrong?" Nat asked defensively.

Makeda walked over to Nat and told him, "My quarters are your quarters."

The women looked at Nat and blushed and the guys chuckled. Nat cut his eyes from one council member to the next and a light went off in his head. "You're all couples, aren't you?" Nat blurted.

Bret put his arm around Sue's waist, "We were created for each other, much like you and the Host."

Sue added, "Like soul mates."

Mya strolled over to Sean and sat on his lap while Alice rolled her chair over to Bill's desk, and then Mya explained, "We weren't born in the pod. Fate, the Will of God drove each of us to our mate and guided us to our destiny with the Order of Light."

Tobias told Nat, "The Host is God's gift to humanity, but you and the Host are God's gift to each other. The power of the Host lies not only in God's love for humanity, but also in the Host's emergence into what it means to experience the love God has poured into humanity."

Makeda looked into Nat's eyes. "The message was not in the sword alone. The message was also in what I felt when I first laid eyes on you. Your destiny is not limited to delivering the message of the sword. It is also your destiny to assist me, stand with me, and love me until my mission is fulfilled."

Nat's eyes filled with understanding. "A hundred years."

Tobias smiled. "Back at the monastery you asked how I knew the Host was winning in the spirit world. I knew because if she falls, you fall."

Sue added, "The six of us are tied in too. If you and the Host fall, we fall. The eight of us are locked in together for the next century, if we play our cards right."

Nat motioned to Tobias. "What about you?"

Pride filed Tobias' eyes. "The council has full control of the other five pods and all of the Order's manpower and resources. God selected all of you to execute the fight against evil and restore hope to humanity, and I have no doubt you will do just that. My job here is done."

Nat pressed, "And what exactly was your job?"

Tobias answered, "Build up the Order of Light, consecrate the Host, and deliver the nature of your mission to you."

Before Nat could respond, Tobias turned and walked out the war chamber. "Hold up," Nat yelled as the doors closed.

Nat hurried through the door and was blinded briefly by a great ball of light that faded away, revealing that Tobias was gone. Nat stepped back in the war chamber in a stupor.

Makeda kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry, I thought you already figured out that he wasn't human."

Bill said, "He went back into the light."

Nat threw his arms in the air. "Everybody knew he was an angel but me?"

They all nodded and said, "Yeah."

A loud alarm went off and Mya hurried back to her desk and pulled a headset from a drawer. "Talk to me," she said into the headset and hit a key on her keyboard.

A man's voice came over a loud-speaker. "We have a situation at the Pentagon!"

Sue ran to her desk and frantically typed, prompting a close-up satellite feed of the Pentagon onto the screens. About twenty heavily armed soldiers fired at four eight-foot tall, red skinned, extremely muscular, super strong demons. The soldiers' machine gun fire bounced off the demons without affecting them at all. The soldiers attempted to back pedal and regroup, but several of them were grabbed by demons and torn apart like paper.

"What the hell—" Bill muttered.

Alice sighed, "Now we know what those dark red spots were."

A tank pulled up on the scene at the Pentagon and fired its cannon at one of the demons. The blast knocked the demon off its feet, but the demon got back up and rushed the tank. The demon grabbed the tank's cannon and snapped it in half. The demon then yelled to the other demons, "Destroy the system!"

The other three demons punched their way into the side of the Pentagon.

Mya yelled into her headset, "What's going on!"

The man's voice shouted over the sound of gunfire and commotion, "They're headed for our computer system."

Makeda said, "You have to get us there now."

"Us?" Nat asked.

"Yeah," Makeda nodded. "You're just as much a warrior as I am. You scared?"

"No," Nat replied, poking his chest out. "I just always thought I would deliver the sword to you and watch you do your thing."

Makeda pointed to Sango's sword. "Well, you delivered my sword to me, and Sango delivered your sword to you, and now it's time for the council here to watch us do our thing."

Bret punched a few keys and said, "We have a jet fueled and ready to go."

Alice pointed out, "They might be gone before you get there."

"Track them," Makeda ordered. "Direct us to wherever they go."

Sean jumped up. "I'll take you to the hanger."

Sean headed for the double doors in the corner, and Makeda and Nat followed.

"Good luck," Mya told Makeda.

Makeda stopped in her tracks, turned, and confidently declared, "I'm the Host. Those demons are the ones who need luck."

"Cocky," Nat muttered and followed her and Sean out the chamber.

***

Several hours later, Nat and Makeda sat in the cabin of a Lear jet wearing headsets with their swords lying across their laps and their eyes glued to a laptop that displayed the satellite view of the Pentagon. The four demons had destroyed the Pentagon's computer system and now stood atop the Pentagon's roof like they were waiting for something. The Council had contacted its assets in the military and convinced them not to engage the demons and promised that help was on the way.

Nat eyed the screen closely. "What are they doing?"

"Waiting for us," Makeda stated.

The pilot yelled from the cabin, "We're approaching the Pentagon."

"We're here," Makeda said into her headset.

Mya responded, "Do what you were born to do."

Makeda took off her headset and unsheathed her sword. She then yelled to the pilot, "Fly back around and bring us in low over the Pentagon."

"You're jumping?" Nat asked in disbelief.

"No," Makeda corrected. "We're jumping."

Makeda walked over to the door and pushed it open, letting in a gust of wind.

"Are you crazy," Nat shouted. "You can't fly."

Makeda exhaled in frustration. "Did you or did you not use my sword to block bullets."

"Yeah, but—" Nat started.

Makeda explained. "Our swords emit powerful force fields. Trust in your sword to keep you from crashing to the ground the same way you trusted it to block the bullets. We can't fly but we can manipulate the force fields of our swords to function like thrusters to help us land safely."

Nat unsheathed his sword. "This is crazy."

Makeda kissed him on the lips. "We stand together. We fall together."

She held the handle of her sword in her right hand and rested the sword's blade against her right leg before diving out the plane head first. Nat took a deep breath, rested the blade of his sword against his right leg, and jumped feet first out the plane.

***

Back at the war chamber, the council members' jaws dropped as they watched Makeda dive head first from the plane fifty-feet in the air and flip four times before she landed on her feet in front of two demons and raised her sword in a fighting stance. Nat didn't flip but his sword released the force field and slowed him down as he approached the roof, allowing him to land safely on his feet on the other side of the roof in front of the other two demons.

Sue said, "Now this is must see TV."

Sean pointed out several news choppers circling the Pentagon. "And the world is watching."

Major news networks all around the world were broadcasting what would be the first of many battles between Makeda and Nat and a network of demon lords and demon warriors that sought to crush the hope of humanity.

"Are we recording this?" Bret asked.

Sue nodded with a bright smile. "Of course. This is going to be a classic."

***

Simon and Saleena stood in his office watching live news footage of the scene unfolding at the Pentagon. Simon punched something into his keyboard and switched to a live satellite feed of the action.

"Let's see what those demon warriors are made of," Simon said.

"Are they ours?" Saleena asked.

"No," Simon replied. "But they'll still give us an idea of what we can expect from them."

Saleena nodded. "If we're lucky they'll wipe out the Host before she even gets started." "Yeah," Simon said doubtfully with his eyes glued to the screen.

***

Tess and Wille Von Macht stood in their war room watching a satellite feed of the Pentagon. All of the personnel in the room silently watched the screens. You could hear a pin drop.

***

Back at the Pentagon, Makeda rushed at one of the demons she landed in front of while the other demon stood back and watched. The demon charged back at her with his hands reached out to grab her, and she jumped in the air and chopped his arms off at the elbows and then dropped into a split and cut his legs off at the knees. The demon yelled in pain and fell onto its back. Makeda flipped onto his chest and sliced her sword across his throat before ramming the tip of her blade down into his heart. The other demon rushed at Makeda and she ran at him and flipped into the air over him, tapping a foot on his head and twisting in the air to face his back before slicing into the back of his shoulder as she landed on her feet. The demon turned to face her and she sliced her sword across his chest. She then jumped in the air to swing at his neck and he punched her in the chest and sent her flying off the roof. Makeda flew through the air and smashed into a tree forty yards away, dropping her sword upon impact. The demon jumped off the roof and ran after her.

Meanwhile the other two demons had Nat on his heels. He nervously dodged the demons' attacks as they stumbled and knocked each other over trying to get at him. Every time the demons swung at him, he held up his sword and blocked their blows with the force field. One of the demons punched down on the force field so hard that it knocked him to his knees.

"Damn," Nat muttered.

Nat looked over to check on Makeda and realized she was no longer on the roof. He looked out below and saw her demon kick her sword away as she struggled to get to it.

"Sheba!" He cried out with his sword lowered at his side.

His two demons took the opportunity to attack him while his guard was down, but rage took over him and he swiftly launched an attack of his own. He jumped high in the air and spun while swinging his sword at the first demon's neck, chopping his head off, and then jammed his sword into the other demon's heart and let it go before landing on his feet. The wounded demon stumbled back with the sword sticking out of his chest. Nat jumped back in the air, grabbed the sword and sliced deep into the demon's torso before landing on his feet again. The demon dropped dead.

Nat then ran full speed and dove off the roof with his arms outstretched with the sword in his right hand. He flipped through the air and effortlessly landed on his feet. Makeda was about thirty yards away dodging and flipping away from a series of blows from the demon, who blocked her from getting to her sword.

"You're never going to touch me," she taunted the demon.

The demon swung at her and she flipped through the air and playfully smacked him on the forehead before landing. Nat sprinted to her aid, grabbing her sword along the way. The demon lunged at Makeda with no idea that Nat was running up behind him with a sword in each hand. Makeda spotted Nat approaching and back flipped away from the demon.

"Toss me my sword," Nat heard Makeda say in his head.

Nat was a little stunned but he tossed the sword over the demon's head. Makeda caught the sword just as the demon reached out to grab her and she cut his hands off. Nat then jumped up behind the demon and cut off his right arm at the shoulder while Makeda sliced her sword through his right knee. The demon toppled over to his right, and Makeda sliced his head off before his body hit the ground.

A four-star general in full uniform rushed over to Makeda and Nat. "I'm General Carter," he said and motioned behind him.

Nat and Makeda had been so busy fighting they hadn't noticed a crowd of soldiers, military personnel, and reporters watching from a distance.

Carter moved closer and said, "I'm with the Order of Light. I'm your Pentagon contact. If you don't mind, I think I should be getting you out of here." On cue, a military helicopter approached and landed a few yards away. "This chopper will take you to a secure airfield where you will board your jet and fly back to Light City."

"Thanks," Makeda said.

Carter looked at the dead demon. "No, thank you." He shook their hands. "I'll be seeing you shortly."

He led them to the chopper and saluted them as they climbed aboard. Makeda saluted Carter back and waved at the soldiers and the crowd as the chopper took off. The crowd clapped and cheered.

Once in the air, Makeda told Nat, "So you know, I didn't need your help. I was having fun."

"Looked like he had you running to me, and you couldn't get to your sword," he pointed out. "And how the hell did I hear your voice in my head?"

"Because I was talking to you," she stated as a matter of fact.

He frowned. "I didn't see your lips moving."

She looked directly in his eyes and telepathically told him, "As long as we make eye contact, we can speak telepathically. It's called thought dropping."

"Thanks for telling me," he thought dropped back.

She looked away and said, "See how easy it is."

"Is there anything else I should know about our connection?" Nat asked.

"Not right now," she stated flatly. "And for the record, I don't need my sword to defeat a demon. I'm the—"

"I know, I know, you're the Host," he exhaled. "Well, I was made to be your mate. That means I'm going to protect you while you protect humanity. Got that!"

Makeda shot him a look of disbelief, and then her face softened. "I got it."

She took his hand into hers and laid her head on his shoulder.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lamont paced inside a cell made of six-inch thick plexiglass that sat in the center of a huge empty room somewhere in Wille Von Macht's compound. There was a camera mounted in a corner, aimed at the cell. Lamont tried to pry his way through the cell door to no avail. The door was controlled by an electronic touch pad instead of a knob. Lamont banged on the walls with everything he had and then gave the camera the middle finger. A moment later, Tess and Wille Von Macht entered.

"What do you want with me?" Lamont yelled.

One of the boys punched a password into the touch pad and another boy stepped into the cell. Lamont stepped back with fear in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Lamont asked.

The boy held out his hand and aimed it at Lamont's neck, and Lamont grabbed his neck as if he was choking and fell to his knees. The boy then pulled a summoning blade from under his shirt and stabbed Lamont in the heart. Lamont coughed up blood and fell dead.

The boy eyed Lamont's body and said, "Show yourself."

Thick black smoke filled the cell and the boy stepped out the cell and shut the door, which automatically locked. The smoke swirled around in a tornado and then cleared, leaving Izzy standing there. Izzy looked down at Lamont's body and then looked up and saw Tess and the boys. He tried to open the door and realized he was trapped in the cell.

"Tess," he shouted. "What the hell are you doing?" He banged on the plexiglass.

Wille Von Macht said, "You are our leverage." They turned to Tess. "It's time to give my brother and sister a call."

Tess shot Izzy a devilish smile and followed the boys out the room.

***

Saleena and Simon stood in Simon's office watching news reports on Nat and Makeda's encounter at the Pentagon. Simon then pulled up a recording of the battle and paused it on a frame of Makeda and Nat attacking the last demon.

"They're good," he admitted.

"So much for your super demon warriors," Saleena spat.

Simon said, "The warriors will still wreck havoc on humanity. They can punch through buildings. They breached the Pentagon. They are just no match for the Host, at least not one on one. They have to learn to fight together. I take it our brother released them to measure them against the Host. We would do much better."

"Let's not forget," Saleena added in agreement. "The demon warriors also don't have swords of fire. We do."

Simon's phone rang and he answered, "Simon Clash."

Tess replied, "I have a message from Wille Von Macht."

Simon chuckled, "Funny, I thought you'd be somewhere mourning your husband."

"No," Tess snapped. "What's funny is Saleena's going to be mourning Izzy if she doesn't do as Wille Von Macht commands."

"What?" Simon asked skeptically.

"I'm sending you a video feed now," Tess said.

A feed of Izzy trapped in the glass cell popped onto Simon's screens.

"Izzy!" Saleena cried out.

Simon put Tess on speaker phone and asked, "What do you want?"

Tess said, "Saleena must engage the Host out in the open."

Saleena shouted, "You worthless traitor, I'll engage you out in the open."

Tess laughed. "If you survive the Host, I'll gladly give you that chance."

"Screw you," Saleena yelled. "You can't hurt Izzy anyway. You kill him and he goes back to the smoke. You engage the Host."

"Wrong," Tess taunted. "I have a sword of fire," she boasted. "You have 72 hours to draw out the Host and engage her. Fail to do so and I will personally annihilate your precious reaper."

The line went dead and the feed of Izzy left the screen. Saleena softly whispered, "Is it possible?"

Simon admitted, "The sword of fire can annihilate a reaper, and so can a sword of light. And there is no doubt the other seed has several swords of fire."

Saleena inhaled. "I guess I'm going to engage the Host."

Simon protested, "Wille Von Macht is only using you to study the Host. We haven't seen enough of her to engage her personally."

"She hasn't seen anything from us either," Saleena reasoned.

"Fine," Simon said. "If you are going to do this, we have to select a battlefield." He looked into Saleena's eyes and said, "You know they're probably still going to annihilate Izzy."

Saleena swallowed down her emotions. "We just need to play along and buy time until we can find Wille's base and get Izzy out of there."

"That's easier said than done," Simon muttered.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Makeda and Nat were back in the war chamber with the six council members. They all watched the screen as President Steve Harding addressed the nation from a podium in the White House press room with General Carter and several other Generals standing behind him.

"Today there is no longer a need for metaphors or analogies when we talk about evil," the President began. "Today we saw the true face of evil. That was not a movie. Those were not props or costumes. Today the world changed forever. Today our petty political and cultural differences were rendered irrelevant. Today the evil of hell crossed over and boldly took a shot at humanity. But that's not all. Today we also witnessed the emergence of two champions who stood and fought for us. Unfortunately, I don't know what lies ahead, but intelligence has indicated that there are many more, dare I say it, demons like the ones who attacked the Pentagon just hours ago. We have been expecting something like this for some time, and we do have a special division in the Department of Defense that will strategize a line of action," he cut his eyes at Carter. "With that said, I introduce the head of that division, General Stanley Carter," he announced and stepped aside.

Carter stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat before he began. "My name is General Stanley Carter, and I am heading the initiative to ward off and defeat the devil's efforts to transform earth into a living hell. Keeping with our national tradition of freedom of religion, this initiative in no way relies upon any particular religious belief or doctrine. The two beings you witnessed fighting the good fight tonight are part of an order called the Order of Light, which also has no particular religious doctrine. The evil that threatens us threatens all humanity, despite color, creed, or nationality. I will be working closely with the Order of Light, which includes coordinating offensives against demons with them. Again, I want to make it clear, this initiative in no way goes against our principle of freedom of religion. The demons you saw tonight are real, and we seek to defeat the evil coalition they are a part of. We do this in the name of freedom and human rights. Thank you very much."

The President waited for Carter to step away from the podium, and then he stepped back up and said, "General Carter and the Order of Light have the full support of myself and congress. We are sure we will defeat this new evil. We have triumphed in the face of evil before, and we shall do it again. In the mean time, I expect Americans to go on living their lives as normal as possible. We should still go to work tomorrow and send our children to school. In fact, our new enemies could perceive any change in our daily behavior as a triumph on their part. Let's not give them the pleasure. If by chance you should come across a demon, you should dial 211. That is a new emergency dispatch service set up specifically for this new threat," he looked directly into the camera and said, "Our enemies will not win. God bless the United States of America, and God bless humanity."

Sean cut the screen off and said, "It's official. The war between good and evil has begun."

Alice boasted, "And we're lucky enough to have a human/angel hybrid and the son of an angel on our side."

"The son of who?" Nat asked.

The six council members looked at Nat, and Mya asked Makeda, "He doesn't know?"

"He will now," Makeda said and twisted her lips.

Nat chuckled, "So now my father was an angle." Makeda's eyes darted at Sango's sword and Nat smacked himself on the forehead. "Sango," he muttered. "Why didn't he say something?" He turned to Makeda. "Why didn't you or Tobias say something? Don't you think I had a right to at least confront him about being my father before Eshu split him in half?"

Makeda said, "It was not meant for you to know at that time." She beheld his face. "You'll see him again soon. I promise, okay?"

"How?" he asked softly.

"Just trust me," Makeda whispered.

Nat inhaled. "I trust you."

Makeda took Nat's hand and told the others, "We need to retire to our living quarters." Bret smiled and said, "It would be my honor to take you there."

Sue wrapped her arm around Bret and they led Nat and Makeda out the chamber. The phone rang after they left and Mya answered.

"Hello?" Carter said on the other line.

"Hello General Carter," Mya replied.

"The President would like to meet with Makeda, Nat, and the council as soon as possible," Carter stated.

Mya cut her eyes at the others with a sly grin and told Carter, "Nat and the Host will be preoccupied for the next day or two."

"Preoccupied?" Carter asked. "We are in a state of emergency."

"The Order of Light has certain protocols that Makeda and Nat must follow in order to be effective in the field," Mya explained trying her best not to giggle. "Please don't call back for two days, unless it is an emergency."

Mya hung up and she and the others burst into laughter.

"Protocols?" Bill asked while laughing.

"I didn't lie," Mya pointed out. "Nat will not be aware of his true potential until he and Makeda, um, copulate."

"Damn," Sean said. "Nat took out those two demons on the roof like it was nothing; imagine what he'll be like after they...what'd you say? Copulate."

Alice agreed. "Wait until Nat and Makeda start using their powers."

"Yeah," Bill said. "The devil's seeds have no idea what they're up against."

Mya spread her arms out at the screens. "And we have a front row seat to all the action."

***

Nat and Makeda's living quarter was a spacious luxury suite. From the plush carpet to the walls, and everything in between, there were shades of sky blue and white. The place gave off a calm, soothing vibe. Nat and Makeda hit the walk-in shower as soon as they got there. They slowly washed every inch of each other's bodies, admiring each other's beauty along the way. After showering, they lay naked side by side on the bed and held each other's hands while staring up at the ceiling.

"You know what we share is divine, don't you?" Makeda asked.

"I guess so," Nat answered. "I mean, this is our destiny, right? To be together?"

Makeda ran the fingers of her free hand across her stomach. "We are soul mates. We have to be together."

Nat rolled over on his side to face her. "That's true, but we didn't know that when we first met."

Makeda rolled over onto her side to meet his gaze. "I fell in love with you at first sight before I knew I was the Host."

"I didn't know you were the Host either. I was attracted to you as Sheba," he said as if he was trying to convince himself of something. "You were just an assassin back then, and I fell for you."

"So," Makeda started. "It was fate and destiny, but we chose to fall for each other, right?"

Nat nodded. "You weren't given to me, I chose you. I wanted you."

"I wanted you too," Makeda confessed.

"So what would have happened back at your place had we never run into Simon's demon lord?" Nat asked softly.

"The same thing that's about to happen right now," Sheba answered and kissed him passionately.

Sheba rolled onto her back and Nat gently climbed on top of her. They kissed and touched each other as Nat sank the hand of his desire into the glove of her yearning. It was a perfect fit. They swam into a sea of pleasure and united every fiber of their beings in a way that announced there could no longer be one without the other. They would no longer be the same afterwards, and humanity would be better off because of it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Thirty-nine year old Inisa McQueen sat in her cramped office at the Delaware Institute for Young Adults with Autism flipping through a newspaper. She was beautiful, but plainly dressed in an off white blouse with a black skirt and black flats. She also wore no makeup nor jewelry, except a thin silver chain with a small crystal charm, which was all her job's dress code permitted. She had graduated top of her class from Delaware State University and earned a Master of Social Work with a minor in psychology before her and her BFF's, Amanda, Cindy, and Monica took positions at the Institute. Her girls each had Masters Degrees in Education and landed teaching positions while she signed on as the Institute's lone counselor. The Institute's mission was to prepare students for an independent adulthood. Many of the students suffered from the mildest symptoms of autism. On the one hand they showed little interest in others, which made them appear asocial, often fell into trances of repetitious activities, such as continuously flicking a light switch off and on, and had very little speech abilities and nearly no social understanding; while on the other hand they had outstanding visual-spatial skills, which allowed them to recognize and solve anything associated with patterns, and picture perfect memory when it came to anything visual. For the most part the school's twenty students, young men ranging from ages fifteen to seventeen, were calm and cooperative. However, there were those rare occasions when one of them went into a fit, and that's when the Institute's teaching staff called on Inisa. Students usually avoided eye contact like it was the plague, but they seemed to embrace making eye contact with Inisa. What was even more amazing was that she and the students appeared to communicate through eye contact. No matter how angry or how misbehaved a student grew, simple eye contact with Inisa calmed and settled the student. She had a way with the students that astonished both teachers and parents alike.

Inisa carefully read an article about the Host and the war between good and evil for the third time and then tossed the paper on the desk and nervously ran her fingers through her hair. She shook her head in bewilderment and grabbed the paper so she could read the article again, but there was a knock at the door. She quickly hid the paper in a drawer, stood and straightened out her skirt, and strolled over to the door and opened it to reveal a set of parents and their sixteen- year-old autistic son.

"Mr. and Mrs. Springs," she greeted before turning to the boy, who kept his head tilted down to his right with his eyes glued to the floor. "It's good to have you back Randle?"

"He hasn't been—" Mrs. Springs started and then stopped in shock as Randle lifted his head and looked at Inisa.

Inisa smiled at Randle and he smiled in return. "You want to come in and sit down?" she asked him.

Randle responded by walking into the office and sitting on the first of the three chairs in front of Inisa's desk. After sitting, he then turned and looked back at Imsa.

"You can have a seat too," she told his parents as she made her way around the desk.

Mr. and Mrs. Springs kept their eyes glued on Inisa as they sat. Mr. Springs glanced at Randle, who was now back to looking at the floor, and then turned back to Inisa. "I still can't understand how you do that?"

"He's use to me, that's all," Inisa said modestly. "So, how was the weekend visit?"

Mrs. Springs' face lit up. "It was great. He ate at the dinner table with us. He sat in the living room with us while we watched TV."

Mr. Springs added, "And he made much more eye contact with us than usual."

Inisa nodded, "That's so good to hear. And there were no negative outbursts?"

Mrs. Springs shrugged. "He had ice cream, and then kind of pushed the bowl away when he was done, but that was about it."

"Yeah, he was terrific," Mr. Springs reported before cutting his eyes at Mrs. Springs like something was on his mind.

Inisa caught the shift in body language. "Is there something wrong?" she asked with concern.

"Well," Mrs. Springs started. "With all this demon stuff going on, we're kind of apprehensive about bringing him back to the institute."

Mr. Springs elaborated, "The world is going crazy out there. We're thinking maybe we should just keep him home for the next few months until we see how this so-called war turns out."

Inisa folded her hands in her lap. "I understand." She paused, contemplating what to say next. "I really do understand, but Randle is making so much progress and the whole purpose of that progress is to get him to a point where he can live as independently as possible. The world is changing, but for better or worse, it is the world that Randle is going to live in."

"What about this surprise trip to Arizona? With everything that's going on, you're cancelling that, right?" Mrs Springs asked.

"We've given that a lot of thought," Inisa admitted. "The problem is a non-profit organization has already foot the bill for the traveling arrangements and hotel accommodations. Not to mention we've spent days preparing students for the trip. They're looking forward to it."

"Honestly, it doesn't make sense why the institute would abruptly plan a trip like this anyway," Mr. Springs complained. "I mean the first we heard of it was three days ago when we picked up Randle for the weekend, and now you expect us to sign a consent form so you can throw him on a plane in a few hours and fly him across the country."

"It's all part of our process," Inisa assured. "All the other parents have already signed off on the trip. Our plane leaves this afternoon, and we'll be gone for three days. If you don't wish him to go, you can take him back home today and then bring him back when we return."

"Yeah, but," Mr. Springs started.

"Look," Inisa exhaled. "He is your child, but he is not a child. He is a young adult, and here at the institute we treat him like a young adult. With that said, have you asked him what he wants?"

Mr. and Mrs. Springs looked at each other like they never thought of that. "Not exactly," Mrs. Springs confessed.

Inisa sat back in her chair. "Well, why don't you try asking him before you make a decision?"

Mrs. Springs hesitated before turning to Randle. "Randle, dear, Mommy and Daddy are—"

"Don't placate him," Inisa said firmly. "Just ask him."

Mrs. Springs cleared her throat. "Randle, how would you like it if," she started again as if she were talking to a toddler.

"No, no," Inisa cut in shaking her head with a disapproving scowl. "Your son is sixteen. He is a young man. Treat him as such, and he'll embrace himself as such." She leaned forward and said, "Randle, you heard what you're parents were talking about, what do you think?"

He slowly lifted his head and made eye contact with Inisa. "Stay here, go on trip with friends," he told her clearly enough with a slight slur.

"Don't tell me," she replied. "Tell them."

He tilted and turned his head towards his parents until he made eye contact with them and announced, "Need to stay and go see mountains in the ground."

Astonishment filled the Springs' eyes. "Okay," Mrs. Springs sniffled.

Inisa nodded. "Randle please let me talk to your parents in private."

He tilted his head back down at the floor and stood. "Be in my room," he said. He dragged his hand across each of his parent's shoulder and then walked out and shut the door behind him.

Mrs. Springs covered her mouth with tears of joy in her eyes. "Did that just happen?" she asked her husband.

He put his arm around her shoulder. "Yes it did, but how?"

"As I said, he's a young adult," Inisa maintained. "He's fully aware of everything going on around him. Here at the institute, we do not treat our students like children. We treat them like adults, and they begin to act like adults. Adults make decisions, so we allow our students to make decisions."

Mr. Springs looked at his wife before telling Inisa, "We'll let him stay and he can go on the trip."

Inisa smiled. "It will be good for him. I promise. And so you know, it's not just the institute; there will be autistic schools from all over the country there."

"Really?" Mrs. Springs asked.

"The organization sponsoring the trip has a state of the art facility not far from the Grand Canyon. They have all kinds of activities lined up for the students. It's going to be great," Inisa boasted while handing them a consent form.

***

90,000 fans burst into thunderous applause when their home team New York Giants took the snow covered football field and lined up across from the Atlanta Falcons for the national anthem. It was the first home playoff game at the MetLife stadium, and it was just forty-eight hours after the entire world had witnessed a reality-shattering demon attack on the Pentagon. To many in attendance, the game offered a much needed escape, an elixir from the anxiety of the thought that the world as they knew it would never be the same. The fanatical cheering of today was a far cry from the collective gasp of shock and horror that had echoed from households around the globe when breaking news had high-jacked the airwaves with live footage of bullets bouncing harmlessly off the demons as they tore American soldiers apart like paper, announcing to the world that the war between good and evil had officially began.

The crowded stadium quieted down and you could hear a pin drop as platinum-selling, country-singer, Natasha made her way to center field with a microphone. While all eyes focused on Natasha as she eased into a powerful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, a police officer on the sidelines, twenty-five-year-old Thomas Jones, noticed Saleena standing near the home team's benches. She was dressed as if she had expected Miami weather, and Jones immediately thought she looked out of place. He quickly scanned the thousands of fans in the stands bundled up in winter coats, hats, earmuffs, and blankets, and then shivered at the thought of how cold Saleena had to be in her meager jeans, halter-top, and open-toe shoes. It was then that he saw a carrying case on the ground beside her. It reminded him of the case he had carried his flute in as a child, only hers was three times as long and looked much more expensive.

As Natasha neared her big finish, Saleena picked up her case and started to the center of the field, prompting Jones and everyone else in attendance to assume she was a part of the act. Natasha was surprised and caught off guard by the Saleena's move, but simply kept her eyes glued on her while belting out the final line of the anthem without missing a beat. The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts when Natasha finished, but the cheers and shouts were short lived. Saleena popped open the case, removed a glowing, red-bladed sword, and swiftly swung the blade at Natasha's neck, slicing her head clear off.

Before Natasha's body could hit the floor, Saleena grabbed the microphone and announced to the stunned crowd, "I am Saleena, the devil's one and only daughter, the princess of hell, and each of you shall be my prisoner until your so-called warrior of humanity presents herself to fight me."

The football players on the field cautiously backed away from Saleena and pandemonium broke out in the stands as people scurried for the exits.

"Drop the sword!" Jones yelled as he and four other officers rushed onto the field with their guns drawn.

Saleena smirked, raised the microphone to her lips, and instructed the crowd, "Sit, or you'll get burned."

The crowd stumbled back onto their heels as each of the stadium's entrances and exits were sealed off by walls of fire. Saleena then raised her sword and sliced it through the air, conjuring up a two-hundred-foot wall of fire that shot up around the perimeter of the stadium, blocking anyone from getting in. The stadium fell silent with awe as the faint smell of sulfur filled the air. Jones and the other officers unconsciously lowered their weapons at the sight of the fiery wall towering high above the stadium.

Remembering the footage from the Pentagon, Jones gripped his sweaty palms around his gun and aimed at Saleena's face while nervously approaching her, inspiring his fellow officers to do the same. "You're with those demons from the Pentagon?" he asked, stumbling over his words.

Saleena dropped the microphone and answered, "No."

Jones inched closer as he and his colleagues formed a firing squad about three feet away from Saleena. "Just drop the sword," he warned.

Saleena raised the sword above her head, and the officers instinctively opened fire. The crowd exhaled with a glimmer of hope, which was quickly crushed when the bullets appeared to disintegrate as they made contact with Saleena's skin.

"Damn," the officers muttered collectively. They tried to backpedal, but it was too late.

Saleena lunged forward and thrust her sword into Jones' belly. The other officers took off running as Jones collapsed to his knees.

"Oh no you don't," Saleena muttered as she effortlessly gave chase. She sliced her sword across the first officer's back, nearly cutting him in two, and then somersaulted into the air over the other three officers and twisted her body so that she faced them when she landed. Two of the officers stopped in their tracks, but the third wasn't so lucky. In one motion, Saleena dropped while sweeping his legs from under him and quickly placed the base of the sword's handle on the ground so that the blade stood upright. The poor officer never knew what hit him. His right eye fell onto the tip of the blade, and Saleena pushed the blade through his brain, and then stood while slicing the blade out the top of his head, sending chunks of brain and skull across the field.

The remaining two officers dropped to their knees in despair. "Please don't kill us," one of them pleaded.

"Don't move," Saleena ordered and calmly walked past Jones' mortally wounded body and grabbed the microphone. "There is no use trying to escape," she announced to the crowd, "sit, or be consumed by fire, or fall at the tip of my sword."

Murmuring filled the stadium as the terrified fans made their way back to their seats. Satisfied, Saleena strolled over to Jones, who lay in the fetal position holding on for dear life, and kicked him onto his back. She caught a glimpse of pain and fear in his eyes and paused briefly as she remembered why she had to proceed with ruthless determination. "What do you love?" she asked Jones, gazing deep into his eyes.

He coughed up blood and managed to answer, "A wife and a new born baby."

"Good," Saleena nodded. "Then I would not pity you if I were capable of such a thing, because you would do exactly what I am doing if you were in my position."

Jones' eyes grew wide with confusion as Saleena plunged her sword down into his heart, Saleena then pointed her sword to the sidelines at a cameraman who had been shooting the entire incident. "Come here," she told him. The cameraman nervously lowered his camera, and Saleena said, "No, keep shooting for now, but I want you to come closer."

***

Nat lay asleep with Makeda sound asleep with her head on his chest. He slowly stirred awake and smirked when he realized the last two weeks of his life had not been a dream. He eased from under Makeda and scooted up in bed, careful not to wake her. He glanced at his and Makeda's swords, which hung on a wall to the left next to a wall-mounted plasma TV, and wondered if Todd and Angela had known his destiny was not simply to deliver the Host's sword, but to be the Host's partner in war, love, and life. He kissed Makeda on the forehead and smiled at the thought that "what they shared was divine," as Makeda nicely put it.

Just then, Makeda popped up and hopped off the bed. "We have to get dressed," she said frantically.

Nat looked confused. "Sheba, what's wrong?"

"Stop calling me Sheba," she chastised, heading into the bathroom. "It's Makeda Sabas, and the High Council needs us in the war chamber."

"What makes you—" Nat started, but stopped when an alarm went off.

The LCD screen popped on displaying Sue. "Nat," she said.

Nat slowly walked over to the screen and waved apprehensively. "Sue?"

"Yes," Sue answered. "You and Makeda need to get down to the war chamber ASAP."

Nat's eyes narrowed. "You can see me?"

Sue shook her head in frustration. "Just get down here."

***

Izzy paced in the holding cell as Lamont's body lay off to the side. Touched with a bit of guilt over Lamont's fate, Izzy knelt beside his body and placed his palm on his head. He then closed his eyes and witnessed the last moments of Lamont's life. "Damn," he muttered. "Think Izzy," he sighed. "There must be something you can do." He frowned in disappointment and then cut his eyes at Lamont's body. His face lit up with realization and then he placed both of his hands on Lamont's head and mumbled something indistinguishable.

Lamont's clothing burst into flames and disintegrated as tiny symbols were magically branded onto every inch of his skin, as if he had a full body tattoo. Lamont's body then floated off the floor.

Izzy blew on Lamont's face and whispered, "Go."

Lamont's eyes popped opened, displaying a pair of white eyeballs, and then he suddenly vanished into thin air.

***

Wille Von Macht entered a missile silo in the heart of their compound where a dozen demon-possessed scientists and engineers worked on a one hundred foot laser device, which was shaped like the Washington Monument with a huge crystal at the top of it. One of the scientists, a slender nerdy looking woman named Marsha Grand, walked over to Wille Von Macht and bowed.

"My Lord, the test device is ready," Marsha said.

The boys smiled. "Good, prepare it for deployment immediately and have the rest of your team begin production on the next device."

***

Nat and Makeda gingerly strolled into the war chamber with their swords draped over their shoulders. Sue sat at one of six desks while Bret struggled with some wires near the rack of large computer servers on the wall to the left.

Sue spun in her chair to face Nat and Makeda and said, "Sorry, the honeymoon is over."

Nat eyed the empty desks. "Where are the other council members?"

Bret slammed down a set of wires in frustration. "In the jet hanger waiting for you two."

Makeda stepped over to Sue and rested her hand on her shoulder. "What's the emergency?"

Sue hit a key on her keyboard and footage of Saleena at the stadium popped up on the screens. "She's threatened to kill everyone there if you don't show up to fight her."

Makeda focused on Saleena's image. "I didn't think Saleena and Simon would be an issue. I expected the devil's new seed, the set of ten-year-old quadruplets, to be our main problem. I guess I was wrong." She turned to Sue. "I take it the jet is ready?"

"Yup," Sue nodded.

Makeda took Nat by the hand and told him, "Let's go."

Sue stood and announced, "Nat's not going with you. There's another plane fueled and waiting for him."

"To take me where?" Nat asked with a raised brow.

Bret walked over. "Mya and Sean have an important mission."

Nat shrugged. "And?"

Sue explained, "Alice and Bill will fly Makeda to the football stadium, and you will assist Sean and Mya."

"I don't under—" Nat started.

Bret patted him on the back and pushed him towards the exit. "You'll be briefed in the air. Just go."

Makeda and Nat left the war chamber and took a long corridor to an underground hanger that had a two-mile runway that steadily climbed to an electronic controlled opening in the desert's surface. Makeda stopped Nat before they stepped in the hanger.

"I'll be fine," she assured, caressing his cheek.

"It could be a trap," he reasoned.

Makeda chuckled. "Do I have to keep reminding you that I am the Host."

"Yeah," Nat sighed. "And if the Host is slain on earth, she'll sleep for the next twenty years."

She kissed him and said, "I wouldn't put my money on that happening. I was sent here to protect humanity remember? You should have a little more faith that I know what I'm doing."

"I'll try," he exhaled.

"Good," she nodded. "Now put your game face on and let's get to work."

They headed into the hanger and found two private jets idling side by side with their doors open. Alice stuck her head out the door of the jet on the left and said, "This way, Makeda."

Mya stuck her head out the other jet and yelled out in her thick Southern accent, "Come on Nat, let's get this show on the road."

Makeda hugged Nat tightly and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. You just be safe."

Alice yelled, "That's enough love birds. We have lives to save!"

Mya added, "Kiss and say goodbye already!"

Nat kissed Makeda and then reluctantly climbed onto the jet with Mya while Makeda joined Alice.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Inisa and married couple Brenda and Kevin Cortez, who happened to be teachers and the Institute's founders, escorted all twenty students through Philadelphia International Airport while Amanda, Cindy, and Monica brought up the rear. Brenda and Kevin, both in their late forties, had dedicated most of their lives to teaching children with autism. Like Inisa, the other staff members dressed plainly in shades of white or black; and like Inisa, Amanda, Monica, and Cindy each wore a matching thin silver chain with a small crystal charm. The students concentrated on staying together as they moved and ignored everything else going on around them. The group passed several lounge areas where people crowded around TV's and smart phones displaying footage of the hostage situation at Met Life Stadium. Inisa glanced back at Amanda, and Amanda shrugged and motioned her to keep moving.

Brenda nudged Inisa and whispered. "Don't worry. The trip is going to be great."

They approached a boarding gate where a tall, pretty, woman in a white dress stood next to a small box holding a sign that read, "Welcome Delaware Institute for Young Adults with Autism."

Inisa brought the group to a stop at the gate. "It's so nice to meet you," she told the woman.

"I'm Hailey," the woman said with a bright smile. "I'm with the Light and Hope Foundation, and I'll be accompanying your group on this trip."

Brenda stepped up to Hailey while Kevin helped prepare the students for boarding. "Thank you so much for all of this."

Hailey put the sign aside and shook Brenda's hand, displaying a crystal charm hanging from a black string on her wrists. "Believe me; the Foundation thanks you for participating."

"Please," Brenda said with humility beaming from her eyes. "If it wasn't for the financial support of the Light and Hope Foundation, the Delaware Institute for Young Adults with Autism would have closed a few months after my husband and I took our first student ten years ago."

Hailey smiled and nodded. "Well, the Foundation believes strongly in the work you are doing."

Kevin walked over; greeted Hailey with a handshake, and then announced, "We're all set to board."

Hailey motioned to the students, many of whom had their heads tilted to the side looking at the floor while others cut their eyes at the ceiling. "May I address our guests of honor?"

Kevin and Brenda glanced at Inisa, who nodded. Kevin then told Hailey, "No problem."

"Hello guys," Hailey said warmly. "My name is Hailey, and I'm going to be hanging out with you for the next week. Would you like that?"

Brenda and Kevin watched in amazement as the students directed their gazes at Hailey and shook their heads yes.

"Good," Hailey responded cheerfully and picked up the small box. "I have gifts for each of you." She opened the box to reveal twenty black leather necklaces with small crystal charms. She handed several to each of the chaperons and told them. "Please help me get these on our guys."

They placed one around each of the students' necks and then Hailey smiled at the students and gleefully told them, "Now we're going to take a ride on a plane. I promise it will be fun. So follow me." She turned and headed through the boarding gate and the students quietly filed in behind her.

"Now she's good," Inisa muttered.

Kevin put his arm around Brenda's waist. "This trip is going to be smoother than I thought."

***

Hundreds of stray cats migrated to an abandoned lake about a half hour outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey. They lingered around, digging in the sand, walking to and from, emitting a chorus of heart-warming meows. A thick cloud of black smoke appeared over the lake and the cats fell silent and stretched their forelegs towards the water as if they were bowing. The cloud of smoke swirled into a huge funnel before breaking off into three small tornados that crisscrossed the surface of the water and then evaporated, revealing what appeared to be three men in long black trench coats hovering above the water in the middle of the lake. Their names were Delago, Kanti, and Nano, and they made up a sect of the reapers called Trackers. Every so often a soul slipped through a reaper's hand during the collection process and drifted to wherever it found rest—sometimes that was in the subconscious part of another human's mind, but it was usually in the body of a cat. No matter where a wayward soul ended up, it was Delago, Kanti, and Nano's responsibility to recover it.

"The devil's heir has taken our brother Izzy captive," Nano announced.

Delago shook his head in disbelief. "Simon can't be that crazy."

Nano explained, "Simon is no longer the heir. There is a new heir, a set of quadruplets, and they're using Izzy to force Simon and Saleena to engage the Host."

Kanti scratched his chin. "If the Host is here, what exactly can we do? It would be suicide for us to cross over. Demons, reapers, we're all the same to her. We don't belong here."

Nano turned to the cats and said, "You're right."

Kanti eyed the cats and his face lit up with understanding. "A collector?"

Nano nodded. "Izzy has released his list."

Delago frowned. "I thought you said they had him captive."

"They do," Nano insisted. "He released his list onto the soul that was slain to summon him."

"A collector?" Kanti muttered. "We haven't released a collector since the Black Plague."

"Things always get out of hand when we release collectors, they're too unpredictable," Delago pointed out.

"It will be different this time," Nano assured. "She will be bound to the souls on Izzy's list, many of whom have been possessed by the devil's minions."

"Oh," Delago nodded. "So we're using a collector to attack the devil's heir for taking Izzy hostage?"

"Exactly," Nano said. "Let's send the devil's heir a message he'll never forget."

The three Trackers closed their eyes and held hands, forming a circle. They floated a couple of feet into the air, and the crowd of stray cats rushed into the water and turned into a cloud of gray mist that spread beneath the lake's surface and then gathered in a ball directly under the Trackers' circle. The Trackers slowly lowered until their feet grazed the lake's surface. The water within their circle built to a rapid boil, and then an unconscious naked woman emerged from the water and floated high above the Trackers. She looked to be in her early twenties, with perky breasts, healthy hips, flawless skin, and silky black hair that fell below her backside. She opened her lavender-colored eyes and smiled at the sight of the Trackers. "It's about time you boys showed a lady some love. I was starting to think you forgot about me."

"The world has changed, Melinda," Nano warned. "You are bond—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said dismissively. "I heard your call. I got the mission. Just give me my tools so I can get to work."

The three Trackers raised their hands and six small glowing spheres floated out the water and up to Melinda. One of the spheres stopped at her belly button and melted into a cloud of blue smoke that covered her entire body and then materialized into a black skin-tight leather bodysuit with holsters at the waist and a matching waist-length leather jacket trimmed in mink.

"They use something called guns today," Kanti informed Melinda.

Melinda frowned. "Please, although we collectors have not been on earth for over 500 years, we are still the inspiration for every death tool known to humanity."

She waved her hand and one of the spheres morphed into an AR 15 assault rifle with a shoulder strap while two other spheres transformed into twin .9mm Glocks. "The only difference between my guns and theirs is mine never need reloading," she chuckled. "This should be more than enough to send a band of stupid demons back to hell." She holstered the Glocks and hung the AR 15 over her shoulder and then snapped her fingers. One of the last two spheres melted into smoke that covered her calves and materialized into a pair of knee-high leather boots while the other sphere floated to the beach. She winked at the Trackers and snapped her fingers again and the sphere on the beach melted and materialized into a cherry red Ferrari.

Nano shook his head in frustration. "Being discreet has never been your strong suit."

Melinda floated down to the lake's surface and said, "The devil has three seeds on earth, the Host has risen, there are demons crossing over from the Spirit World, and one of my brothers has been taken captive." She poked Nano in the chest. "I'm only here because you think I'm expendable."

"It's not like—" Nano started.

"Save it," Melinda snapped. "Have you forgotten I have complete access to your minds when you summon me? But don't worry," she assured. "I'll do your bidding. But this time I'll do it my way."

Kanti shrugged. "Have you ever not done it your way?"

Melinda looked into Kanti's eyes and reminded him, "If there was a chance for any way other than my way, you wouldn't have summoned me, now would you."

Before anyone could respond, Melinda turned and stormed off, splashing water with each of her footsteps as she walked across the surface of the lake. The Trackers watched as she climbed into the Ferrari and sped off, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and sand.

"She's not going to stick to the list," Delago sighed.

"Has she ever?" Kanti exhaled.

"It's different this time," Nano reasoned. "No matter how stubborn collectors can be, they love their brothers. She'll be messy, but she'll tend to the list. As long as the devil's heir and his network have Izzy, Melinda will give them hell."

"Yeah," Kanti agreed. "But how do we pull her back when Izzy is released?"

"We'll cross that road when we get there," Nano said softly.

***

Wille Von Macht stood in the conference room that overlooked their Pentagon-like war room and silently glanced down at a satellite feed of Saleena awaiting Makeda at the stadium. Behind the boys, a laptop sat on a long conference table that faced a huge wall-mounted plasma screen.

"It's about time," the boys said in unison as Tess strolled in with a nerdy looking man in a cheap suit.

Tess looked as if she was dressed more for a red carpet event than a briefing on technical support for a war between good and evil. She had on a black Gucci dress with a pair of green Gucci pumps and an emerald necklace.

"Mitchell has good news," Tess announced.

The boys sat on one side of the conference table and pointed to the plasma screen. "Please show, don't tell," they told Mitchell.

Tess hit the lights and Mitchell tapped a key on the laptop that prompted a thermal satellite image of the area surrounding the New Meadowlands stadium to pop on the plasma screen. A dark red spot glowed in the center of the image.

Mitchell cleared his throat and explained, "The showdown you're instigating between your sister and the Host has provided the perfect opportunity to test our new thermal imaging software," He paused and then continued, "We already know that you, Simon, and Saleena have unique heat signatures that can be picked up by satellites using the thermal imaging, but now we know the Host has a unique signature as well."

The boys shrugged. "But we expected this, didn't we?" they asked skeptically.

Mitchell nodded and hit a key on the laptop that prompted a thermal satellite image of the entire United States, which displayed thousands of tiny light red dots across the country, a dark red spot in New York, a dark red spot in New Jersey, a bright yellow spot in Arizona that was not too far away from a bright orange spot, and a light orange spot in South Jersey that covered the entire Atlantic City area.

Mitchell motioned to the image. "This was recorded shortly after Saleena issued her demand. The dark red dot in New Jersey is her. Of course the dark red dot in New York is Simon. The light red dots are our demons in possession of human bodies." He pointed to the bright yellow dot in Arizona. "This is the Host, no doubt leaving the Order of Light's so-called secret headquarters, and this," he said pointing to the bright orange dot in Arizona, "is most likely the son of Sango we witnessed engage our demons at the Pentagon with the Host, which means—"

Wille Von Macht got up and approached the screen, inspecting the light orange dot. "—the light orange dot indicates the approximate location of one of the other three seeds of Sango."

"But if there are a total of four seeds of Sango, why are there only two orange dots?" Tess asked.

"Good question," Mitchell nodded. "I don't have a definitive answer, but I saw when the light orange dot literately grew onto the satellite image. I suspect two more orange dots will grow onto the screen at any moment. And when they do, we'll know the location of all four seeds of Sango."

Tess smiled. "If we find them before the Order of Light, we can kill them before they ever know who they are."

"No," Wille Von Macht stated. "Not if but when we find them first, they will be much more useful to us alive than dead." They told Mitchell, "The moment there's any sign of the other seeds of Sango, inform us."

"Your mighty will shall be carried out," Mitchell said with a bow and then walked out.

"And what does my Lord want of his servant Tess?" Tess asked.

"You will take a battalion consisting of twenty of our demon warriors and four thousands of our demon-possessed human soldiers to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Your mission is three-fold: you will transport the scientist Marsha Grand with the gateway device, seize the city so that Marsha can initiate and test the device, and find this seed of Sango, to whom you shall deliver a gift," the boys instructed.

Tess' brow shot up. "A gift?"

"A sword forged from the fire of hell," the boys revealed with a devilish smirk.

Excitement glowed in Tess eyes. "We're recruiting them."

"They are seeds of Sango so they have powerful innate abilities," the boys pointed out. "But they are human, so they must also choose how to use those abilities. They shall wield swords forged from fire and fight for us as valiantly as they would for the Order of Light with swords forged from light."

"Your mighty will shall be carried out," Tess said and bowed. She started to leave, but then turned back and lowered her head as she asked, "If my Lord does not mind my asking, what exactly does this gateway device do?"

"The gate between this world and the Spirit World weakens as humanity falls into hopelessness and despair," the boys explained. "But as bad as things are in this world, the gate is not weak enough to be completely broken. This device emits a sphere that isolates those within it, and then utilizes their despair and hopelessness to create a hole in the gate. Once humanity's moral dips low enough to create this hole, our demons can cross back and forth between earth and the Spirit World."

"So instead of destroying the hope of humanity all at once, we use these devices to isolate the despair of a few to create a small gate."

"The device you are taking is only a prototype and Marsha will use the Atlantic City area as a testing ground. If all goes well the next device will not require human despair at all, only that born of the Spirit World that is not truly of the Spirit World," the boys gloated.

Tess nodded, and then her eyes lit up with realization. "And Simon certainly possesses such a thing," she whispered softly.

"Not for long. Now go, find the Seed of Sango," the boys ordered.

"Your mighty will shall be carried out." Tess bowed and then walked out.

Once alone, the boys muttered, "Things are progressing better than we planned."

### APRIL 2013

### HOST CHRONICLES:

### VOLUME 2: HOPE RISING
